Women’s participation in the Iraqi parliamentary elections is seen as a significant issue in the context of democracy, equality, gender, and socio-political development. Despite all the difficulties, women have not given up their struggle to take part in decision-making mechanisms. In the sixth-term elections of the Iraqi Parliament, 84 women succeeded in entering parliament, 25 of them through the votes of their own supporters.
Meanwhile, the proportion of women in parliament reached 25.5 percent. This represents a decrease compared to the fifth term of the Iraqi Parliament, where 95 female MPs made up 30 percent of the chamber.
The Iraqi Parliament has a total of 329 seats, 9 of which are designated by quota. A 30 percent quota system is applied for women.
Over six parliamentary terms, a total of 503 women have served in the Iraqi Parliament. In the first election held in November 2005, after the fall of the Baath regime and tasked with drafting the constitution, 87 women were elected as members of parliament. With 275 seats in total, this number exceeded the 25 percent quota.
In the second parliamentary term, 80 women were elected. In the third term, the number was 83; in the fourth, 84; and in the fifth term, it rose to 97. However, in the sixth parliamentary term, this number declined.
During the election process, women gained seats through quotas in seven provinces in Iraq and in Duhok in the Kurdistan Region.
In the Kurdistan Region, these were the results:
In Hewlêr (Erbil), 3 quota candidates and 1 non-quota candidate;
In Silêmanî (Sulaymaniyah), 5 non-quota candidates;
In Duhok, 3 quota candidates entered parliament.
In Iraq and the disputed territories (areas covered by Article 140):
In Kirkuk, 1 non-quota candidate and 1 quota candidate;
In Anbar, 4 quota candidates;
In Basra, 2 non-quota candidates and 4 quota candidates;
In Diwaniyah, 3 non-quota candidates;
In Muthanna, 3 non-quota candidates;
In Najaf, 3 non-quota candidates;
In Babil, 4 quota candidates;
In Baghdad, 6 non-quota candidates and 11 quota candidates;
In Diyala, 4 quota candidates;
In Dhi Qar, 1 quota candidate and 3 non-quota candidates;
In Salahaddin, 1 non-quota candidate and 2 quota candidates;
In Karbala, 3 quota candidates;
In Maysan, 2 non-quota candidates and 1 quota candidate;
In Mosul, 1 non-quota candidate and 7 quota candidates;
In Wasit, 3 quota candidates succeeded in gaining seats.
Women in Iraq officially gained the right to participate in elections in 1980. However, due to certain societal barriers, women’s representation in parliament is still not at the desired level.
According to the Iraqi Constitution and Article 16 of the Iraqi Parliamentary Law of 2019, the proportion of women in parliament must not be less than 25 percent. Accordingly, women must occupy 84 of the 329 parliamentary seats.
According to the 2023 election law, each province constitutes a single electoral district, and votes are counted at the provincial level. This means seats are allocated according to the number of seats assigned to each province. For example, in the Kurdistan Region, the seats are distributed among the three provinces of Hewlêr, Silêmanî, and Duhok, with a total of 11 seats.
On April 14, the Iraqi Parliament approved granting Halabja provincial status. Accordingly, 3 seats should have been allocated for female parliamentary candidates in Halabja. In the latest elections, the quota seats that should have been designated for Halabja were instead given to Silêmanî. Thus, women were once again deprived of their rights.