ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – An Iraqi lawmaker on Saturday accused Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani of "exploiting" his official status for electoral campaigning, mere weeks after six other MPs filed a complaint with the public prosecutor against the premier on similar grounds.

Hussein Arab, the lawmaker, alleged that Sudani had "exploited his official influence over state resources and authority to spread his campaigns and illuminated election advertisements," accusing him of using electricity poles to illuminate his party's posters, according to a document addressed to the country's electoral body.

The document, dated November 1, called for "necessary measures" to be taken to exclude "the candidate from the election race" due to the violations.

Arab's accusation comes only weeks after six Iraqi legislators similarly accused the Iraqi premier of "a series of legal, administrative, and financial violations" in a complaint with the public prosecutor on October 16.

The lawmakers alleged that Sudani "exploited his position as Prime Minister for electoral purposes by granting a group of approvals and decisions regarding letters of thanks and appreciation and granting plots of land."

Arab himself was disqualified by Iraq’s electoral body in late November on accusations of forging his university degree.

Sudani is heading his own coalition for the country's upcoming parliamentary elections - the Reconstruction and Development Alliance.

After his disqualification, Sudani’s Reconstruction and Development Alliance disavowed Arab, saying in a statement that it “does not endorse him among the [alliance’s] candidates for the upcoming parliamentary elections.”

Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) in late September fined Sudani, along with former premier Nouri al-Maliki and several other top officials, two million dinars for violating election campaign regulations. 

The vote will be held without any amendments to Iraq’s parliamentary election law - the Sainte-Lague system - which favors better-funded, established parties over independent candidates and smaller parties. 

In late October, IHEC told The New Region that all technical, logistical, and administrative preparations had been completed for the elections, reiterating that the vote will be held as scheduled on November 11.