Legislative Amendment or Executive Decision? Dispute Between Election Commission and Parliament over National ID

rafidainscope - Member of Parliament Mukhtar al-Moussawi 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 there is no need to amend

the elections law in parliament if a final agreement is reached on adopting the unified national ID card.

Al-Moussawi said the idea of using the unified national ID instead of the voter card in the next electoral cycle is not new; it had been emphasized and pursued previously, but the commission's tight timeline prevented its implementation.

He explained that the recent steps taken by the government in coordination with the commission and the Ministry of Interior to adopt the national ID instead of the voter card aim to create flexibility and smoothness in the electoral process and prevent technical problems.

Al-Moussawi noted that the matter does not require an amendment to the elections law by the Council of Representatives as it is an executive and organizational decision, but it is subject to practical pathways, 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 hold this card.

Al-Moussawi noted that the matter does not require an amendment to the elections law by the Council of Representatives as it is an executive and organizational decision, but it is subject to practical pathways, 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 hold this card.

He pointed out that these points represent question marks requiring decisive answers from the relevant parties, specifically the Ministry of Interior, to settle the file.

The Independent High Electoral Commission had earlier announced that adopting the unified national ID instead of the biometric card in the upcoming elections requires the approval of a new amendment to the elections law by the Council of Representatives.