Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission announced on Thursday evening that a total of 343 political parties have been officially licensed, with 118 of them expressing their intention to participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

According to the Iraqi News Agency (INA), the remaining parties have not yet submitted formal applications to run in the elections, though registration remains open within the legally designated timeframe.

The announcement comes as part of Iraq’s ongoing preparations for its next national vote, which will be the second parliamentary election since the wave of mass protests in late 2019. Those demonstrations led to the resignation of the then-government and prompted electoral reforms, including the adoption of a new electoral law aimed at promoting individual candidacies and reducing the dominance of traditional political blocs.