Diverging Views between IHEC and Parliament: Legal Amendment or Procedural Decision for National ID?

mesoiraq - MP Mukhtar al-Mousawi responded on Thursday (September 10, 2026) to statements by the Independent High Electoral Commission regarding its need for a legislative amendment for the upcoming vote, confirming that no amendment to the election law is required in Parliament if final agreement is reached on adopting the unified national ID.

Al-Mousawi said the idea of using the unified national ID instead of the voter card in the next electoral cycle is not new, but time constraints had previously prevented its implementation, noting that recent steps coordinated with the Interior Ministry aim to create flexibility in the electoral process and prevent technical problems.

He explained that the matter does not require an election law amendment as it is a procedural and organizational decision, but is subject to practical procedures, particularly an Interior Ministry report on the actual numbers of unified national ID holders, as well as the situation of Iraqis abroad, most of whom do not possess this card.

The electoral commission had earlier announced that adopting the unified national ID in place of the biometric card in the upcoming elections requires a new amendment to the election law approved by Parliament.