Iraq’s 2018 government formation: unpacking the friction between reform and the status quo

This report analyses the 2018 government formation process in Iraq. It argues that the process is marked by two competing trends, a bottom-up movement demanding institutional change symbolised by a low voter turnout and incumbency rate, and a top-down system that reinforces identity-based politics and the post-2003 order. The failure to officially identify the largest governing political bloc exemplifies this friction and paves the way for political instability. This report is based on interviews with Iraqi officials and activists in Baghdad, Basra, Mosul, Ramadi, Erbil and Sulaymaniyah between March and December 2018. This report is the final in a series of three produced by IRIS as the outcome of a project examining the mobilisation strategies and results of the 2018 Iraqi elections.