Iraqi politicians sound alarm over rising US pressure ahead of polls

As Iraq prepares to hold parliamentary elections on November 11, lawmakers say the current parliament, elected in 2021, has seen its work stalled amid persistent foreign pressure, particularly from Washington. 

Under Iraqi law, the current parliament will remain in office until January, as the parliament is mandated to continue for 45 days following elections. 

Despite being constitutionally active until early January, the legislature has largely ceased to function, unable to maintain a quorum or pass any meaningful legislation.  

A prime example is the repeated stalling of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) law, long championed by resistance factions.

The bill, which would grant formal legal status to the PMF within Iraq’s security apparatus, has been shelved multiple times due to reported US objections.

Washington has argued the measure would legitimize anti-terror armed resistance groups, but Iraqi lawmakers say the move is about sovereignty. 

The resistance-aligned lawmakers argue that continued US presence and pressure only deepens Iraq’s instability and undermines democratic institutions.

In the weeks leading up to the elections, major political forces in parliament are attempting to revive the near-paralyzed chamber and push through a number of long-delayed laws and decisions.

Hussein al-Ameri, a member of the parliamentary security and defense committee, said his party, along with other resistance factions that hold a strong presence in parliament, were seeking to hold a session to debate and pass what it describes as “important” legislation.

One of the laws being targeted for passage is the PMF law, which was previously withdrawn from parliament in the name of “safeguarding the country’s higher interests,” a reference to avoiding friction with the administration of US President Donald Trump.

“The Coordination Framework is determined to bring forward the PMF law again,” said Hussein al-Ameri. “This is not just legislation—it is a step towards ending foreign meddling in Iraqi affairs.”

Mukhtar al-Musawi, another Iraqi lawmaker, stated that Iraq was “passing through a critical phase as a result of continuous American pressure.”

He stressed the need “to confront these pressures and not surrender to them in order to protect the Popular Mobilization Forces and support Iraq's national sovereignty.”

The PMF, formed in 2014 to fight the Daesh terrorist group, remains a powerful component of Iraq’s security landscape.

Though officially part of the state, its legal status remains in limbo—largely due to fears in Washington that formal recognition would bolster anti-US forces across the Arab country

Despite these challenges, resistance factions remain a vocal force, calling for full sovereignty and the end of occupation-era dynamics. 

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As elections near, the battle over the PMF law may become a flashpoint—one that highlights Iraq’s broader struggle to assert independence in the face of enduring foreign influence.

Observers also maintain that the power-sharing system, entrenched since the US invasion, has turned governance into a balancing act of sectarian and ethnic quotas, leaving the state weak and vulnerable to external interference. 

Meanwhile, campaigning has kicked off for Iraq’s parliamentary elections scheduled for November 11.

Over 7,000 candidates are running for the 329-seat legislature against a backdrop of disputes, strained relations and regional turbulence.

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The campaign has been marred by violence as a young PMF-backed Iraqi parliamentary candidate was killed north of Baghdad. 

Mashhadani was killed and three of his bodyguards were wounded when a bomb exploded near his car north of Baghdad in an incident likely to ratchet up tensions in a highly polarized election campaign. He had received threats from the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group.

Safaa al-Mashhadani was perceived as a charismatic candidate capable of attracting young voters. The assassination is the first of a candidate ahead of Iraq’s parliamentary elections..

It raises the specter of other bloody incidents during previous election campaigns.

The Independent High Electoral Commission has said that campaigning must end on November 3, followed by a week of media silence before the elections are held.

Over 21 million people are eligible to vote.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani will run in the elections as part of the Construction and Development coalition, the country’s largest in the polls.

A victory will ensure that he can be appointed as PM for a second term. His ambitions are however being met with deep disputes.

Tensions between Sudani and former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki are also no secret. Sudani had emerged from the latter’s Dawa party and has since distanced himself from it.

The PM’s supporters have high hopes that he will secure victory in the elections. His opponents, however, claim that his victory is unlikely because “more and more political powers are opposed to his election.”

Sudani is leading the largest political coalition in the elections that has attracted several lawmakers, even some from Maliki’s own coalition.

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