Iraq
Osama al-Nujaifi (centre) speaks during an announcement of a new Sunni alliance between his Mutahidoun Party and the Azm Alliance led by Muthanna al-Samarrai (left), in Mosul on February 20, 2025. Photo: Mutahidoun Party
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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Two Sunni factions announced on Thursday that they have formed an alliance in preparation for Iraq’s next parliamentary election, expected to take place in October 2025.
The coalition is between the Mutahidoun Party, led by former parliament speaker Osama al-Nujaifi, and the Azm Alliance, led by Muthanna al-Samarrai.
“We announce the coalition between Mutahidoun and Azm to contest the upcoming elections,” Nujaifi said in a statement.
In Mosul on Thursday, Nujaifi welcomed the leader of the Azm Alliance along with a number of ministers and members of parliament.
The purpose of the coalition is to enhance political and parliamentary collaboration between the parties, as well as working towards political and economic stability across governorates with a special focus on reconstruction, provision of better public services, and supporting development projects in alignment with peoples’ needs, the statement said.
This is “an important step towards achieving a sizable political influence for Mosul” in the parliament, Nujaifi said, adding that the coalition will “contribute to ending the marginalization of the city and restoring its political balance.”
Divisions between Iraq’s Sunni parties deepened over replacing parliament speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi who was ousted in November 2023. A replacement was finally elected a year later. The post of parliament speaker is traditionally reserved for Sunnis.
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