August 30, 2022

A weekly review of news and analysis of elections in the greater Middle East and North Africa, usually posted on Tuesdays and occasionally updated throughout the week.The Saray Mosque in Baghdad, Iraq. Photo credit: Wikimedia/Mustafa Waad Saeed (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Upcoming Middle East Elections

Kuwait Snap Parliamentary Elections: September 29, 2022

Ismaeel Naar, The National UAE (August 30, 2022): Kuwait signs up 115 candidates for coming elections

Arab News (August 28, 2022): Kuwait to hold parliamentary elections on Sept. 29

Iraq, Kurdistan Regional Elections: October 1, 2022 (delays possible)

Dler S. Mohammed, Rudaw (August 28, 2022): Kurdish party leaders to meet over parliamentary elections

Raya Jalabi, Foreign Policy (August 26, 2022): Baghdad threatens action against international buyers of Kurdish oil

Lebanon Indirect Presidential Election: October 2022 (due), following Parliamentary Elections: May 15, 2022

The National UAE (August 30, 2022): Granddaughter of former Lebanese leader launches bid for presidency

AP (August 29, 2022): Lebanon presidential candidate backs anti-Hezbollah platform

Israel Snap Parliamentary Elections, Take 5: November 1, 2022

Isaac Scharf, AP (August 30, 2022): Israel’s Netanyahu warned in probe of deadly 2021 stampede

Simon Davies and Joshua Hantman, Times of Israel (August 28, 2022): As the campaign reaches the halfway point, how ‘predictive’ are the polls right now?

Michael Hauser Tov, Haaretz (August 27, 2022): Israel Election: Lapid Calls for Meretz-Labor Deal as Far-right Parties Merge

Eliav Breuer, Jerusalem Post (August 26, 2022): Israel elections: Large parties are losing their ground, poll finds

Bahrain Parliamentary Elections: November 2022 (due)

The Daily Tribune Bahrain (August 25, 2022): Grand Electoral Season All Set To Kick-Start in Bahrain

Tunisia Early Legislative Elections: December 17, 2022 (following a July 25, 2022 constitutional referendum)

Laura Angela Baguette, RFI (August 26, 2022): Tunisians reeling from ‘dictator’ moves, but people still hopefu

Turkey Presidential and Legislative Elections: By June 18, 2023

Beril Akman, Bloomberg (August 30, 2022): Turkey’s Economy Powers On Through Worst Inflation in Two Decades

Marc Pierini, Carnegie Europe (August 30, 2022): Understanding the Erdoğan-Putin Duet

Fehim Tastekin, Al-Monitor (August 30, 2022): How realistic is Erdogan’s vision for security belt from Syria to Iraq?

Jomana Karadsheh and Eyad Kourdi, CNN, (August 30, 2022): Syrians in Turkey fear the worst as Erdogan changes tune on Assad

Birsen Altayli, Reuters (August 29, 2022): Banned from politics, Turkish opposition figure rejects new charge of insulting Erdogan

AP (August 29, 2022): Turkish pop star jailed over joke released to house arrest

AP (August 26, 2022): Turkish Pop Star Jailed Over Joke About Religious Schools

Asli Aydintasbas, Washington Post (August 26, 2022): Why is Erdogan suddenly making nice to his enemies?

Pakistan General Elections: By October 12, 2023 (snap elections possible)

Umair Jamal, The Diplomat (August 29, 2022): Imran Khan Pushing Hard for Early Elections

Financial Times (August 29, 2022): IMF approves $1.1bn bailout package for Pakistan to help stave off default: Deal agreed after government facing growing opposition imposes unpopular austerity measures

Kamran Haider and Ismail Dilawar, Bloomberg (August 24, 2022): Imran Khan’s Street Politics Sets Up Showdown With Army

Libya Parliamentary and Presidential Elections: Delayed from December 2021 – date TBD

Betel Yurok, Anadolu Agency (August 31, 2022): UN says elections only way to break ‘impasse’ in Libya amid recent clashes: At least 32 people killed, 159 others injured in clashes, according to Libyan officials

UN News (August 30, 2022): Libya: Political stalemate and lack of progress on elections

Africanews (August 29, 2022): Libya’s capital remains tense after more than 30 killed in violent clashes

Past Middle East Elections

Iraq Early Parliamentary Elections: October 10, 2021

AFP (August 30, 2022): Iraq president encourages early elections to end crisis

Kadhim Ajrash and Anthony Di Paola, Bloomberg (August 30, 2022): Renewed Unrest in Iraq Leaves Oil Traders on Edge Over Supply

John Davison, Reuters (August 30, 2022): Iraqi cleric Sadr calls off protests after worst Baghdad violence in years

NPR (August 30, 2022): What the resignation of popular Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr means in the Middle East

March Daou, France24 (August 30, 2022): Who are the rival Shiite politicians vying to fill Iraq’s political vacuum?

David Schenker, Foreign Policy (August 24, 2022): Biden’s Indifference Has Given Iran the Upper Hand in Iraq: The country’s fragile postwar democracy is threatened like never before.

Middle East Elections Coming Up in 2022 and 2023

Kuwait Snap Parliamentary Elections: September 29, 2022

Libya Presidential and Parliamentary Elections: Overdue

Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Parliamentary Elections: October 1, 2022 (delays possible)

Israel Snap Parliamentary Elections: November 1, 2022

Bahrain Parliamentary Elections: November 2022 (due)

Tunisia Early Legislative Elections: December 17, 2022

Turkey Presidential and Legislative Elections: By June 18, 2023

Pakistan General Elections: By October 12, 2023

Israel Local Elections: October 2023

Oman Consultative Assembly Elections: October 2023

United Arab Emirates Federal National Council Elections: October 2023 (indirect elections, advisory body with limited powers)

Egypt Local Elections: Due and discussed, but not scheduled

Oman Local Elections: Due, but postponed due to COVID-19

Palestinian Authority Presidential and Legislative Elections: Long overdue, postponed yet again, no date set

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