Days before Iraq’s elections, al-Sadr urges full boycott

05 November, 2025 07:09

Days before Iraq’s elections, al-Sadr urges full boycott

Shiite Muslim cleric Moqtada Sadr gives a speech in Iraq's central holy shrine city of Najaf on August 30, 2022. Iraqi supporters of powerful cleric Moqtada Sadr began withdrawing from Baghdad's Green Zone on August 30 after he demanded fighting end between rival Shiite forces and the army that left 23 dead and hundreds wounded. (Photo by Qassem al-KAABI / AFP)

Muqtada al-Sadr, leader of the Patriotic Shiite Movement (PSM), renewed on Tuesday his call to boycott Iraq’s upcoming parliamentary elections, urging his supporters not to vote for any candidate or bloc.

In a handwritten statement shared on social media, under the hashtag #Boycotters, al-Sadr said he would not take part in the polls or back what he called “criminals,” denouncing a system he views as mired in corruption and political favoritism.
A source close to al-Sadr told Shafaq News that the PSM leader “is not seeking to topple the regime but to press for deep reforms and a political process free from sectarian quotas and corruption.”

Iraq’s parliamentary elections are set for November 11, with special voting on November 9, for members of the security forces and other designated groups. The Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) says 21.4 million Iraqis are eligible to vote.