Iraqi election expert says prime minister's national-ID voting proposal violates constitution

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Election affairs expert Dareed Tawfiq has criticized Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani's proposal to make Iraq's national identity card the basis for voter identification in upcoming elections, saying it violates the constitution and election law. In a written statement, Tawfiq noted that Article 102 of the Iraqi constitution clearly stipulates that the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) is an independent body subject to parliamentary oversight. He argued that placing voter registration under the Interior Ministry's control contradicts that article and expressed surprise that the commission's presidency approved the proposal. Tawfiq cited Article 5, paragraph 4 of the 2023 Election Law (Law No. 4 of 2023), which requires voters to be registered on the voter roll and to hold an updated voter card containing long-term biometric data. He said a statutory requirement of this kind cannot be replaced by an administrative suggestion or decision, and warned that using the national ID would complicate the process of assigning voters to specific polling stations and centers. The expert also questioned whether the commission's presidency can adopt strategic decisions on voter rolls and voting mechanisms during its remaining legal term, and asked whether parliament is fulfilling its oversight duty in the face of what he described as a clear constitutional and legal breach. The proposal emerged during a joint meeting on Sunday evening between the Interior Ministry and IHEC, chaired by Prime Minister al-Sudani.