New Iraqi lawmaker ousted after creating fake PMF brigade, violating election laws
Muhannad al-Khazraji, the recently elected member of parliament, had run under the banner of the Badr Organization, which is a large pro-Iranian group in Iraq.
In a bizarre twist in Iraq, a newly elected member of parliament has seen his parliamentary membership revoked amid accusations he created a fake “brigade” within the paramilitary Popular Mobilization Forces.
The PMF is composed of dozens of brigades, many of them affiliated with pro-Iranian militias in Iraq. Muhannad al-Khazraji, the recently elected member of parliament, had run under the banner of the Badr Organization, which is a large pro-Iranian group in Iraq.
Badr has numerous brigades within the PMF, and it often plays a powerful role in Iraq’s Interior Ministry.
Rudaw media in northern Iraq’s Kurdistan region reported that “Baghdad’s electoral committee confirmed on Tuesday that it had revoked the parliamentary membership of a newly elected lawmaker from Iraq’s Badr Organization, citing the politician’s claim to have formed a ‘brigade’ within the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), allegedly enabling recruitment, including by voters.”
The Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) said its Board of Commissioners is now reversing “the approval of the candidacy” of al-Khazraji due to “violation of the country’s election law.”
Members of Iraqi security forces salute during a military parade held by Iraq’s army, Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces), and the Police force during a ceremony marking the anniversary of the defeat of the Islamic State (IS) group, in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul on December 2024. (credit: ZAID AL-OBEIDI/AFP via Getty Images)
The seat he won will now go to another member of Badr
The report noted that he has been disqualified and that the seat he won will now go to another member of Badr who received fewer votes. Badr won 18 seats in the recent elections, making it one of the key Shi’ite parties in Iraq. It has four seats in Baghdad. Mohammed al-Shuwayli will now assume Khazraji’s seat, Rudaw reported.
Khazraji is accused of creating a fake brigade called the Martyrs of Victory Brigade. Many of the brigades of the PMF played a role in the war on ISIS. Some of them have subsequently gone on to commit various offenses, such as using drones and rockets to attack US forces.
The US has sanctioned many militias in Iraq, such as Kataib Hezbollah and Asaib Ahl al-Haq. A court in Baghdad attempted to find out if the Martyrs of Victory Brigade exists and whether it had ever recruited anyone.
A Facebook page that appears to be for the candidate Khazraji shows him campaigning. It has 100,000 followers. In one post from October 11, he shows himself at a rally with Hadi al-Amiri, the Badr leader. The “crowd scene reflects growing trust and popular affinity,” his Facebook post says.
According to the site, the New Region, Khazraji, has rejected the accusations, calling them defamatory. Apparently, some of his supporters have said they will enact “tribal justice” against those who slandered the former candidate.
However, reports say a number of people in Baghdad complained about the candidate and his creation of a “fictional brigade of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF).”
One man said, “We went to the specified location, where we were transported by cars in batches, with each person required to bring 10 electoral cards, and they asked us to swear on the Holy Quran, then we were forced to sign a pledge worth 20 million Iraqi dinars.”
However, his supporters say, “We are the sons of prominent tribes, and we will take our tribal and moral rights regarding this defamation.”
