ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The Victory Alliance, led by Former Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, on Friday announced it will not be putting forward any candidates for the upcoming parliamentary elections, citing electoral corruption.

In a statement on Friday, the alliance affirmed its belief in the democratic process but declared that it will not field its own candidates for the November elections, and will instead “support those it deems competent and qualified among the candidates of the National State Forces Alliance list.”

Formed in 2021, the National State Forces Alliance comprises the Victory Alliance and Ammar al-Hakim’s National Wisdom Movement. The coalition obtained nine seats in the 2021 parliamentary elections.

“The Victory Alliance refuses to involve its candidates in elections driven by political money and lacking seriousness in enforcing legal regulations that prevent manipulation, vote-buying, the use of public and foreign funds, and the exploitation of state resources,” the statement added.

Abadi’s alliance stressed the need to reform the electoral process, calling for “free and fair voting.”

Iraq is set to hold parliamentary elections on November 11, with over 21.4 million eligible voters having completed the biometric registration update to partake in the upcoming polls. Around eight million eligible voters have not updated their information, meaning they will not be able to participate in the November elections.

In March, Influential Shiite cleric and leader of the National Shiite Movement Muqtada al-Sadr announced that he will be sitting out the November polls, citing ongoing “corruption” in the country.

Iraq ranks 140 out of 180 when it comes to countries’ corruption rates, according to the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index by Transparency International.