Based on an analysis of (467) Facebook posts by Miqrab AI on November 8, 2025, the key themes dominating online conversations in Iraq centered on the impending elections. The most prominent narrative involved the Sadrist movement’s instructions to its followers to boycott the vote and cleverly spoil their ballots if pressured, a story that achieved the highest engagement. Concurrently, candidates made their final campaign appeals before the electoral silence, while Prime Minister Al Sudani and the head of the judiciary, Faiq Zidan, issued statements focused on ensuring the security and integrity of the process. Political satire also featured heavily, particularly targeting established figures like Nouri al-Maliki.

Today’s Top 10 Facebook Trends in Iraq:

1. Sadrists Issue “Spoil the Ballot” Instructions to Boycotters

The most viral story was a message from Saleh al-Iraqi, a key aide to Muqtada al-Sadr, which was widely shared by pages including Wazir al-Qa’id (Post Impact: 100%) and amplified by Erbil Events (Post Impact: 15%). The directive advises those being bribed for their vote to accept the money and photograph the ballot paper for the candidate, but to then invalidate it by writing on it. The message states, “You have deprived them of their money and deprived them of your vote,” while reaffirming the movement’s official stance: “We are #boycotting.” This call to boycott was also echoed by a post from The Private Office of His Eminence Muqtada al-Sadr (Post Impact: 22%), which urged followers to seek refuge in reform and boycotting.

2. Candidates’ Final Push Before Electoral Silence

With the electoral silence period approaching, candidates and political figures launched a final wave of campaign content. Mohammed al-Halbousi (Post Impact: 43%) shared videos promoting his candidacy in Baghdad, specifying his list number (255) and sequence (1). Similarly, media personality and candidate Ali Athab (Post Impact: 40%) posted a reel asking for support from Baghdad voters with his own list and sequence numbers. Other figures like Hayder Al-Hamdani (Post Impact: 35%) announced who he considered his “trusted candidate,” while MP Mustafa Sanad (Post Impact: 29%) shared a promotional clip urging people to vote for him. This trend highlighted a concerted effort by politicians to maximize visibility in the final hours of campaigning.

3. Judiciary Head Affirms Independence and Warns Against Violations

Statements from the Head of the Supreme Judicial Council, Judge Faiq Zidan, were widely circulated, emphasizing the judiciary’s commitment to a lawful election. The Clean Brotherhood (Post Impact: 16%) and Steven Nabil (Post Impact: 8%) shared his remarks, where he declared, “We will not allow anyone, regardless of their position or title, to violate the constitution and the law in Iraq.” Zidan also revealed he had previously refused a nomination for Prime Minister for personal reasons and warned that the judiciary would not hesitate to disqualify any candidate using sectarian language, even after they have won.

4. PM Sudani Oversees Security and Guarantees No Curfew

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al Sudani’s preparations for election security were a key topic. His official page, Engineer Mohammed Shia’ Al Sudani (Post Impact: 16%), announced that there would be no curfew on election day to ensure citizens could move freely. Posts from the PM’s Media Office (Post Impact: 3%) showed him visiting the Joint Operations Command to follow up on security plans. He explicitly forbade the use of security resources to influence voting and called for a swift response to any disinformation campaigns aimed at undermining the election’s credibility.

5. Albasheer Show Satirizes Maliki’s “Ba’ath Obsession”

The highly popular satirical program Albasheer Show – albasheer show (Post Impact: 72%) generated massive engagement with a video reel titled “Maliki’s obsession with the Ba’ath Party.” The clip humorously critiques former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s frequent rhetoric blaming the dismantled Ba’ath party for current issues. The post’s high impact, despite being from a single source, underscores the significant public appetite for political satire and critical commentary on the narratives of Iraq’s long-standing political figures.

6. Maliki Vows Legal Action Over Wiretapping Allegations

Former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was also the subject of news coverage regarding a wiretapping scandal. A post shared by Sahar Abbas Jamil (Post Impact: 11%) quoted Maliki stating that he will not drop his legal case concerning the wiretapping of him and his family, calling it a “major ethical lapse that cannot be ignored.” This story was also discussed by Salem Mashkour (Post Impact: 8%), who described the matter as “dangerous” and questioned why the issue had been suppressed until now, suggesting it could be a sign of preparations to “restore a dictatorship with a new identity.”

7. Pages Advise Voters on Secrecy and Resisting Coercion

Ahead of the vote, several pages shared information to empower voters and protect the secrecy of their ballots. Set Ashwaq Umm Al-Qanouniya (Post Impact: 8%) urged people to “vote with your conscience, not your wallet,” reminding them that their vote is secret and cannot be tracked. Likewise, Tech 4 Peace (Post Impact: 4%) provided a detailed explanation on how to handle pressure, including from those demanding a photo of the ballot, by explaining that a voter can still change their choice or spoil the ballot after taking a picture without anyone knowing.

8. PM Sudani’s Meeting with US Envoy Sparks Interest

A video showing Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al Sudani celebrating the birthday of Mark Savaya, identified as an envoy for Donald Trump, circulated on multiple pages, including Hussam Alhaj (Post Impact: 6%) and Rafid Jaboori (Post Impact: 3%). In the clip, filmed inside the governmental palace, Sudani wishes Savaya a happy 40th birthday, and Savaya responds in fluent Iraqi Arabic, “Allah ykhalik.. tislam dawlat al-ra’is” (May God keep you… thank you, Mr. Prime Minister). The friendly exchange and Savaya’s command of the local dialect drew considerable attention and commentary.

9. Land Grants for Defense Ministry Personnel Announced

News of a significant development for military personnel was shared by the page Maher Mouhi::Sawt Humat Al-Watan (Post Impact: 6%). The posts reported that the Minister of Defense had secured approval from the Ministry of Finance to transfer ownership of land plots in the Nahrawan area to the Ministry of Defense. This move is expected to lead to the issuance of property deeds for service members in the coming days. The news was presented as a major victory, with one post exclaiming, “And finally, the protector of the homeland has a homeland.”

10. Provinces Announce Official Holidays for Elections

Multiple posts from Diyala Diyala TV (Post Impact: 3%) announced that several provinces were declaring official holidays to facilitate the election process. The page reported that governorates, starting with Maysan and later including Diyala, were تعطيل الدوام (suspending official working hours), particularly for schools, on Sunday and Monday for the special and general voting days. This indicated a coordinated effort at the provincial level to ensure smooth logistics for the elections.