The Iraqi elections scheduled for November 2025 face a legal crisis due to the candidacy of individuals accused of belonging to the banned Ba’ath Party. Leaked documents from the Accountability and Justice Commission indicate about 200 candidates are subject to de-Ba’athification procedures in provinces including Baghdad, Nineveh, Kirkuk, Diyala, Dhi Qar, Diwaniya and Basra. The Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) said there are requests for exclusion and that investigations are ongoing with more than 400 candidates over criminal restrictions linked to accountability and justice, while it previously announced the exclusion of about 140 candidates on criminal grounds (including murder, kidnapping and currency forgery). The leaked lists include candidates from Shiite parties and armed factions, coordinating framework parties, as well as Sunni and Kurdish lists.

Notable names and formations mentioned include Basim Ghazi al-Amrli (Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada) on the ‘Save Kirkuk Turkmen’ list, the Abu Alaa al-Wala’i group, State of Law Coalition (Nouri al-Maliki), Badr Organization (Hadi al-Amiri), Saraya/Harakat Sadiqun (Qais al-Khazali), Shibl al-Zaydi alliances, and others. MP Raed al-Maliki predicted the exclusion of 400 candidates due to the first-time application of Election Law No. 12 of 2018 (amended) and activation of accountability and justice provisions. Several prominent figures were reported in leaks — including Khamees al-Khanjar, Najm al-Jubouri, Abdul Ghani al-Asadi — and some names associated with Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al-Sudani’s lists were also circulated. Iyad Allawi was mentioned in the leaks but denied the reports.