Independent politician Izzat Al-Shabandar strongly criticized the current state of democracy in Iraq. He stated that democracy in Iraq has lost its essence and has instead turned into a political quota system. According to him, this shift has damaged both institutions and individuals in the country.
During the “Monitoring Democracy” conference in Baghdad, organized by Rudaw Media Network on September 14, 2025, Al-Shabandar explained his perspective. He stressed that democracy in Iraq never developed as a personal culture. Instead, it became a tool used by political groups. He firmly stated that democracy in Iraq has become a political quota system, not a cultural value.
He argued that the foundation of democracy should have started with the individual. First, people should have embraced democratic values in daily life. Then, these values could have moved naturally into institutions, parties, and organizations. However, Iraq experienced the opposite process. Instead of empowering the individual, democracy in Iraq empowered political parties that used it for their own benefit.
Al-Shabandar explained further that democracy should strengthen citizens rather than just serve political structures. But in Iraq, the opposite happened. He noted that democracy in Iraq has become a political quota system that only benefits parties. According to him, this has stripped away the moral essence of democracy and transformed it into a mechanism of power-sharing.
Turning to the Baghdad-Erbil relationship, Al-Shabandar highlighted the deep challenges. He said Erbil struggles to balance its role inside a federal Iraq while also pursuing ambitions for a Kurdish state. He emphasized that reconciling these two directions remains extremely difficult.
Meanwhile, Baghdad faces a different problem. Al-Shabandar underlined that Iraq’s capital still carries the heavy legacy of authoritarian rule. He reminded that Iraq lived under totalitarian systems for more than a century. This history, he added, continues to shape the mentality of its ruling class and society today.
In conclusion, Al-Shabandar urged Iraqis to rethink their understanding of democracy. He repeated that democracy in Iraq has become a political quota system. He called for a shift back toward personal culture, where individuals—not just parties—become the real guardians of democratic values.
