Moqtada al-Sadr has doubled down on his boycott of the November parliamentary elections. He originally announced he would not participate back in March. He repeated his commitment to this move at the end of September. This is a major blow to voter turnout as Sadr has the only mass movement in the country.
Sadr has consistently been one of the biggest vote getters since elections started in 2005. In the last vote in 2021 the Sadrists won the most parliamentary seats with 73. Sadr was hoping to form the new government but his decision to boycott parliament allowed his opponents in the Coordination Framework to outmaneuver him and name Mohammed al-Sudani prime minister. Sadr still appears to resent his mistake and probably led to his call for a boycott this year.
Voter turnout has gone down the last couple years and Sadr’s move will likely mean that will hit a new low in 2025. Al Mada reported that some parties within the Coordination Framework were worried that participation could be as low as 20%. That is part of Sadr’s plan to discredit the ruling elite and the political system. He will then present himself as the “true” voice of the people in an attempt to re-enter politics and become a king maker again.
SOURCES
Al Mada, “Sadr’s tactic threatens to lower election turnout to below 20%,” 9/22/25
NINA, “Al-Sadr: Our Movement Will Boycott Elections Despite Threats, Results Will Expose Rivalries," 9/29/25
Rudaw, "Sadr rejects Iraqi president's appeal to join elections," 4/18/25
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