ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – A candidate running on Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani’s list is facing backlash after being welcomed with heavy gunfire by his supporters in Nineveh’s Baaj district on Monday, triggering arrest warrants from authorities. 

The Nineveh Investigation Court issued arrest warrants for all individuals who fired shots during an election rally in the Baaj district, where supporters welcomed candidate Khalid Nael al-Hididi with heavy gunfire, a security source told The New Region on Wednesday.

Hididi is running under Sudani’s Reconstruction and Development Alliance.

According to the source, seven suspects have been detained so far for using unauthorized weapons, adding that the arrests aim to send a “strict deterrent” to prevent violence during election campaigns. 

Khalid Nael al-Hididi, a candidate from Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani’s alliance for the upcoming parliamentary elections, faced backlash after being welcomed with heavy gunfire in Nineveh’s Baaj district, prompting arrest warrants against the perpetrators pic.twitter.com/OFEa6nmWC6

— The New Region (@thenewregion) November 3, 2025

Last month, security forces arrested another parliamentary candidate in Najaf after gunfire was reported during his campaign gathering.

Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) has said that Campaign Regulation No. 4 of 2025 includes 29 articles designed to guide candidates ahead of campaign activities, warning them against violations that could lead to legal penalties.

The harshest punishment includes exclusion from the race, while fines can reach up to two million Iraqi dinars (about $1,500).

The commission says the rules aim to protect the integrity of the electoral process and ensure campaign activities follow the law.

Iraq’s parliamentary elections are scheduled for November 11. The electoral silence period is slated for November 8 at 7 am, and electoral campaigns must be immediately halted afterwards.

Special voting is scheduled to take place a day after the silence period, where special forces and members of security services will cast their votes.

Campaigning for the federal parliamentary elections began in early October, with over 7,750 candidates competing for the 329 seats allocated across the provinces under a proportional representation system.