ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s electoral commission on Monday finalized strict financial limits on campaign spending for candidates and political parties contesting the country’s upcoming November legislative elections, noting that the cap is determined by the number of voters in each province.
The Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) has set the highest permissible campaign expenditure in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, at approximately 150 billion Iraqi dinars (around $114.5 million). The lowest ceiling was set in the southern province of Muthanna, limited to 1.7 billion dinars (roughly $1.3 million).
In the Kurdistan Region, the spending limits for political parties vary across its four provinces - Duhok, Erbil, Halabja, and Sulaimani - ranging from 4 to 10 billion dinars (about $3 to $7.6 million).
Imad Jamil, head of media for IHEC, told Rudaw “these regulations will be mandatory for the upcoming Iraqi parliamentary elections, with all lists and candidates expected to comply,
The campaign finance restrictions cover both monetary and non-cash expenditures and apply throughout the official campaigning period, which runs from October 3 to November 8.
To boost oversight, the IHEC established a multi-agency system to prevent overspending and illicit funding sources.
A member of the electoral body’s press team, Hassan Zaer, told Rudaw that “several agencies are monitoring how funds are being spent” by contestants in the elections. These include an oversight committee affiliated with the IHEC, the federal Commission of Integrity (COI) and the federal Board of Supreme Audit (BSA).
Moreover, candidates and political lists are also required to appoint a certified accountant to oversee and report on all financial activities related to their campaigns.
According to Jamil, “Exceeding the permissible campaign expenditure will result in financial penalties for the lists and candidates involved. If the money was received from an unauthorized source, the candidate or list will be disqualified.”
Iraq is set to hold its parliamentary elections on November 11.
IHEC data shows that 7,768 candidates, representing 31 alliances, 38 parties, 23 independent campaigns and 56 quota seat contenders are vying for seats in the 329-member Iraqi parliament.
More than 21 million voters are eligible to cast their ballots after they’ve updated their biometric voting cards in recent months.
Hastyar Qadir contributed to this report.
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