“The Council of Ministers has set December 18 as the date for holding the provincial elections for the year 2023,” reads a statement by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani’s office.
“This came in compliance with the ministerial platform adopted by the government and approved by parliament last October.”
Created by the 2005 Iraqi constitution following the fall of dictator Saddam Hussein’s regime, the provincial councils are powerful bodies that hold significant power in the country, including setting the budgets for several sectors such as education, health, and transport.
However, the councils are highly controversial and accused of being rife with corruption. They were dissolved when massive antigovernment protests shook Baghdad and southern provinces in 2019 as part of the protestors’ demands.
On Monday, Iraq’s electoral commission said that political parties and alliances have the month of July to register for the provincial councils elections.
The elections will mark the return of the Sainte-Laguë voting method, a controversial system that reverts back to the single-constituency per province system instead of the multiple-constituency system that was adopted for the 2021 parliamentary elections as part of the demands of demonstrators.
The provincial council elections were last held in 2013, when supporters of then-prime minister Nouri al-Maliki emerged victorious. The next elections were set to be held in 2018 but were postponed.
The elections will take place across federal Iraq and exclude the provinces of the Kurdistan Region.
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