BAGHDAD — The possible participation of armed factions under the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMU) in the local elections that are scheduled to take place in April 2017 and the parliamentary elections in 2018 has sparked huge controversy in Iraq. As a result, Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission announced Aug. 28 that it would not include any political entity registered under the PMU in the elections, as the latter is a military organization that is connected to the security apparatus, affiliated with the state and obeys the commander in chief of the armed forces.
Most armed factions have not hidden their intention to participate in the electoral race and for their members to join parliament and even take part in forming the Iraqi government. Some of these factions think their battle against the Islamic State (IS), the blood their members have shed in that fight and their defense of the country must be rewarded with political representation.