Assyrian politics in Iraq

On May 19, 1992, elections were held for the Kurdistan National Assembly (KNA,) the parliament of the Kurdistan Region in Iraq. At the time, the National Assembly had 105 seats. The parties representing the Assyrian community competed in a closed list guaranteeing that there would be five Assyrian seats in the KNA. There were four Assyrian lists in the elections:

• Assyrian Democratic Movement
• Kurdistan Christian Unity of Sarkis Aghajan
• Democratic Christians
• Chaldo-Ashur Communist Party

Results^[1]

A minimum of 2,400 votes was required to win a seat. ADM won four seats and one was won by the Kurdistan Christian Unity. The names of those elected into the parliament:

• Yonadam Kanna (ADM)
• Shamil Benyamin (ADM)
• Francis Yousif Shaba † (ADM)
• Akram Ashur Odisho (ADM)
• Sarkis Aghajan (KCU)

Francis Youif was assassinated on June 1, 1993, in Dohuk.^[2] Experts regarded that several parties that participated in the election, namely Aghajan's KCU, were proxies for bigger Kurdish parties, with each party being controlled by a different organization.^[3]

A general election was held on 30 January 2005 to elect a temporary 275-member Council of Representatives of Iraq. It was the first time in the history of Iraq (outside of KRG-areas) that Assyrian political parties had been allowed to be part of the electoral system. In the elections, there were three different Assyrian lists;

• National Rafidain List (204) - Yonadam Kanna

Assyrian Democratic Movement

• Assyrian National Assembly (139)

Assyrian National Congress

Bet-Nahrain Democratic Party of Sargon Dadesho

• Bet-Nahrain Democratic Coalition (148)

Beth Nahren Patriotic Union

Syriac Independent Gathering Movement

Chaldean National Congress was initially part of list 204, but ended up dropping off before the election. Chaldean Democratic Union Party (CDUP), Assyrian Patriotic Party (APP) and Bet Nahrain Democratic Party (BNDP) of Romeo Hakkari joined the Kurdistani list (130). Before the elections, Minas Ibrahim of the Democratic Christian Party was kidnapped in Mosul,^[4] but was released a month later without ransom.

In all, six Assyrians were elected to the parliament. National Rafidain list got the minimum required votes for a seat in the parliament and it was given to Yonadam Kanna (ADM.) Other Assyrians that were elected into the parliament include Goriel Mineso Khamis (BNDP), Nuri Potrus 'Atto, Ablahad Afraim Sawa (CDUP) and Jacklin Qosin Zomaya (APP) all under the Kurdistani list (130.) Wijdan Michael was elected under Iyad Allawi's secular list.

On the same day, Iraq held a local governorate elections in all 18 governorates. Assyrian political parties participitated in 4 of the 18 local governorate elections. The only Assyrian party that won a seat in any governorate was the Assyrian Democratic Movement in the Nineveh Governorate. The party received 4,650 votes and captured one seat (out of 41.)

In addition, Salvana Boya of the Assyrian Patriotic Party was elected in the Kirkuk Governorate council under the Kurdistani list.^[5]

Elections for the Kurdistan National Assembly, the parliament of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, were held on 30 January 2005, to coincide with the Iraqi legislative election and governoral council elections. All Assyrian-based parties joined the Democratic Patriotic Alliance of Kurdistan. The coalition won 104 of the 111 seats in the parliament, of which 5 were won by Assyrians:

(in order as they were in the coalition list)

• Jamal Shamon Yalya (CCS) - 69
• Romeo Hakkari (BNDP) - 71
• Bayzar Milko Rohan (CDUP) - 72
• Andreaus Youkhana Georgis (ADM) - 73
• Galawesh Shaba Hojji (ADM) - 76

A general election was held on 15 December 2005 to elect a permanent 275-member Iraqi Council of Representatives. The elections took place under a list system, whereby voters chose from a list of parties. In the elections, there were three main Assyrian list:

• National Rafidain List (740) - had only one party, the Assyrian Democratic Movement.
• Patriotic Beth Nahrain (Al-Nahrain National) (752)^[6]

Beth Nahren Patriotic Union

Chaldean National Congress

Assyrian Patriotic Party

Syriac Independent Gathering Movement

Chaldean Democratic Forum

Hikmat Hakim (Independent)

• Assyrian General Conference (800)

The Chaldean Democratic Forum, a party led by Saeed Shama that also advocated for a separate Chaldean identity, took part in elections for the first time. Other Assyrian parties decided to side with non-Assyrian based list. The Chaldean Democratic Union Party decided to run under the Kurdish list (730.) The Iraqi Christian Democratic Party of Minas al-Yousifi joined the list of the Iraqi National Dialogue Front (667.) Bet Nahrain Democratic Party of Romeo Hakkari withdrew.

In all, three Assyrians were voted into the parliament. ADM succeeded in capturing one parliament seat in the Baghdad governorate, which was given to the secretary of its party, Yonadam Kanna. Fawzi Hariri (KDP) and Ablahad Afraim Sawa (CDUP) under the Kurdistani list (730) for the Arbil governorate were voted in as well.

A local governorate election was held on January 31, 2009, in Iraq. There were no elections in the heavily-Assyrian populated north governorate of Dohuk and Arbil (including Slemani and Kirkuk.) 440 seats in 14 (of the 18) Iraqi governorates were up for grabs.

In the last local governorate elections, only one seat (in Nineveh) was won by Assyrians (ADM.) Unlike the 2005 local elections, minority groups had reserved seats ahead of the election. Three seats were reserved for Assyrians; one each in the governorates of Nineveh, Baghdad and Basra.

In the election, there were three main Assyrian blocks fighting for votes. The Assyrian Democratic Movement being one, under the list titled National Rafidain List (504). The other being a Kurdistan Democratic Party-backed block titled the Ishtar Patriotic List (513).

The Ishtar Patriotic List included the following:

• Chaldean Syriac Assyrian Popular Council
• Bet Nahrain Democratic Party
• Chaldean Democratic Forum
• Chaldean Cultural Society
• Beth Nahren Patriotic Union
• Syriac Independent Gathering Movement

The third major list was the Chaldean Democratic Union Party (503).

The Nineveh seat was won by Saad Tanios Jaji of SIGM. The Baghdad seat was won by Gewargis Isho Sada of the BNDP. The Ishtar Patriotic List decided not to run in the Basra elections, however, it supported the Chaldean National Congress (CNC.) The Basra seat was won by Saad Matti Boutros of the CDUP.

The Kurdistan Region held elections to elect its 111-member Kurdistan National Assembly on 25 July 2009. Five seats were reserved for Assyrians. There were 8 Assyrian parties that initially signed up to participate in the elections. Prior to the elections, the BNDP decided to withdraw. APP and KACP decided to run on a joint list. CDUP and CNC also merged in a joint list called the "United Chaldean List".^[9]

Most Assyrians living in Ankawa were largely reluctant to discuss politics before the election and were unconfident in politicians' ability to attain their rights. The lists that ran as part of the elections also expressed differing political motives; while the CSAPC list ran for the recognition of the three names as one people, the Unified Chaldean List wanted to be considered a separate group and threatened to file suits in the Federal Supreme Court of Iraq.^[9]

• Chaldean Syriac Assyrian Popular Council List (68)

Chaldean Syriac Assyrian Popular Council

• National Rafidain List (67)

Assyrian Democratic Movement

• Self government List (65)

Assyrian Patriotic Party

Chaldo-Ashur Communist Party

• United Chaldean List (64)

Chaldean Democratic Union Party

Chaldean Democratic Forum

The politicians that were elected to parliament are as follows:

• Thair Abdalahad Ogostin (CSAPC)
• Susan Yousif Khoshaba (CSAPC)
• Amir Goga Yousif (CSAPC)
• Salem Toma Kako (ADM)
• Jihan Ismael Benyamin (ADM)

A parliamentary election was held on 7 March 2010. The parliament previously approved to increase the number of seats from 275 to 325, of which 5 seats were reserved for Assyrians. The reserved seats for Assyrian in Iraqi parliament was the first in the country's history. Going into the elections, four Christians were in the parliament: Yonadam Kanna (ADM), Fawzi Hariri (KDP,) Ablahad Afraim Sawa (CDUP,) and Wijdan Michael (Allawi list.)

The Assyrian Patriotic Party, Chaldean Democratic Forum, and the Bet Nahrain Democratic Party announced on November 15, that they would create an alliance.

Five major lists have been created for the election;

• 389 - National Rafidain List: Assyrian Democratic Movement
• 390 - Chaldean Syriac Assyrian Popular Council list
• 391 - Chaldean National Congress
• 392 - Chaldean Democratic Union Party
• 393 - Independent Sarkis Yousif
• 394 - Ishtar Democratic List: Assyrian Patriotic Party. Beth Nahrain, Chaldean Democratic Forum
• 395 - Independent John (Yohanna) Joseph

Three seats were won by the ADM and two seats by the CSAPC. The five elected into the parliament:

• Yonadam Kanna
• Basimah Yusuf Butrus
• Imad Youkhana Yaqo
• Khales Isho Esitefo
• Luis Caro Bandar

A Governorate (or local) elections were held in Iraq on 20 April 2013, with Nineveh Governorate along with Anbar voting on June 20, due to violence in the city caused by the Islamic State of Iraq. Elections didn't take place in the 3 governorates forming the Kurdistan Region.

As with the previous local elections, 3 seats were reserved for Assyrians, including one each in Baghdad, Nineveh and Basra. The Chaldean Syriac Assyrian Popular Council reclaimed their seats in Nineveh and Baghdad, by receiving 8,635 and 1,513 votes respectively.^[11][12]

Kurdistan Region held elections to elect its 111-member Kurdistan National Assembly on 21 September 2013. Each Kurdish party listed 100 candidates while each Assyrian and Turkman party listed 5 candidates. There were 3 Assyrian lists running for the five reserved seats. Prior to the election, some ADM members decided to leave the party and run on their own list called Sons of Mesopotamia.

• 125 Sons of Mesopotamia List
  • List included former individuals from the Assyrian Democratic Movement
• 126 National Rafidain List
  • Assyrian Democratic Movement
• 127 Chaldean Syriac Assyrian United List
  • Assyrian Patriotic Party
  • Bet-Nahrain Democratic Party
  • Chaldean National Council
  • Chaldean Syriac Assyrian Popular Council

Parliamentary elections were held in Iraq on 30 April 2014, electing the 328 members of the Council of Representatives, of which 5 were reserved for the Assyrian minority. 2 of the seats were won by the Assyrian Democratic Movement, 2 by the Chaldean Syriac Assyrian Popular Council, and one by the Iraqi Communist Party who was under the Civil Democratic Alliance.

Azad was replaced Joseph Sylawa. ADM tried but failed to make Sargon Lazar a minister, after Sargon resigned his seat and gave it to Imad Youkhana Yaqo.

Parliamentary elections were held in Iraq on 12 May 2018, electing 329 members of the Council of Representatives. A total of 7 different Assyrian lists competed for the 5 reserved seats. Babylon Movement, a mostly non-Assyrian militia linked to the Iranian-backed paramilitary group, entered the parliament for the first time after receiving more than 33,000 votes, leading to winning 2 seats. CSAPC, Rafidain list and the Chaldean Catholic-supported Chaldean list all received one seat. Many within the Assyrian community publicly condemned Babylon Movement and its leader Rayan al-Kildani for taking reserved seats for the Assyrian communities through votes coming mostly from southern Shia Arab individuals.^[16] The results to some even calling for the then US President Donald Trump to pressure Iraqi authorities to invalidate the results, however no actions were taken.

Patriarch Louis Raphaël I Sako and other Christian politicians accused the Babylon Movement (which won 4 out of 5 seats in the 2021 Iraqi parliamentary election) of having a Shia Muslim voter base. Similarly, the independent Christian candidate Farouq Hanna Atto is said to owe his victory to the Kurdistan Democratic Party.^[17][18] Before the election, the patriarch called for an election boycott.^[19]

More information Party, Votes ...

Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Babylon Movement	50,378	52.22	4	2
	Hammurabi Coalition	18,212	18.88	0	–
	Assyrian Democratic Movement	10,572	10.96	0	–
	Chaldean Syriac Assyrian Popular Council	7,589	7.87	0	–
	Farouq Hanna Atto	5,084	5.27	1	–
	Assyrian National Party	2,810	2.91	0	–
	Beth Nahrin Patriotic Union	1,827	1.89	0	–
Total		96,472	100.00	5	–
Source: Kurdistan24

Close

The 2023 Iraqi governorate elections were held on December 18, 2023, after almost 10 years passing after the last one. The delay was mostly due to the 2014 ISIS invasion and occupation. Governorates under the KRG did not participate. For the Assyrians, reserved seats were allocated in the following governorates: Basra, Baghdad, Kirkuk, and Ninewa.^[20]

Two alliances were founded before the election, the Christian Alliance and Athra Alliance with the intention to participate in the election.

19 candidates are set to participate in the election with most being noted to be independents.^[21] Some famous politicians including the leader of the Beth Nahrin Patriotic Union were excluded.^[22] The party boycotted the election.^[23] The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan endorsed the candidates of the Babylon Movement and withdrew support for their nominees days before the election.^[24] The Assyrian Democratic Movement won 2 constituencies with help from the Kurdistan Democratic Party.^[25]

• Assyrian independence movement
• Assyrians in Iraq
• Politics of Iraq