In a detailed interview, Yousef Yaqoub Matti, a senior member of the Bethnahrin National Council (Mawtbo Umthoyo d'Bethnahrin, MUB) and former president of the HBA, explained the reasoning behind the boycott.
"The quota for our Assyrian people was a constitutional right established in 2005," Matti said. "It was the product of decades of struggle and a symbol of recognition in the new federal, democratic Iraq. Yet over time, that right was stripped of its essence and turned into a tool of manipulation."
According to Matti, the first violation occurred when the Iraqi Parliament redefined the community's reserved seats as belonging to the "Christian component," erasing the explicitly ethnic designation enshrined in the constitution. "That change reduced a national identity to a religious label," he said. "We are not merely a faith community; we are an indigenous people of this land."
He called the move a deliberate attempt to "empty the community of its national character," describing it as "the first injustice and a breach of the constitution."
The former HBA President accused major Kurdish and Shia parties of exploiting minority quotas by mobilizing their own voters to install proxy candidates. "This practice destroyed the meaning of the quota," Matti said. "Representation became a façade managed by the major blocs."
Legal Failures and Political Exclusions
Matti also criticized both the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) and Parliament for failing to enact safeguards ensuring that minority seats are filled by genuine representatives of their communities. "There is no mechanism to ensure that only members of the Assyrian community vote for their candidates," he said. "The quota has become vulnerable to outside interference."
Tensions reached a breaking point when several Assyrian candidates were disqualified in what the HBA described as politically motivated exclusions. Among them was Issam Behnam Matti, former district-mayor of Baghdede in the Nineveh Plains, who was barred from running due to "technical reasons." The commission reportedly claimed that his documents could not be processed because forms were sent abroad for printing.
"Such an explanation is absurd," Matti said. "If it was a technical delay, why not leave his slot open? Instead, qualified candidates were removed under vague pretexts -- often based on unverified accusations from the Accountability and Justice Commission."
Although the Federal Cassation Court later ruled the disqualifications unlawful, Matti said the electoral commission refused to reinstate the candidates. "That is a blatant disregard for judicial authority," he argued. "In any democracy, failure to implement a court order carries both legal and moral consequences."
Matti emphasized that the boycott is not a retreat but "a forced withdrawal." He likened it to "a child withdrawing in silence after repeated mistreatment."
"When every legal and political door is closed, abstaining becomes an act of protest," he said.
Four Assyrian parties have joined the boycott, though some individual members are running independently. "We cannot forbid anyone from exercising their constitutional rights," Matti said. "But as institutions, we cannot legitimize an electoral process that marginalizes our people."
He also cited the case of HBA President Joseph Sliwa, a prominent Assyrian candidate, who was reportedly accused of having a criminal ruling issued against him. "They claimed there was a court verdict, but when we asked to see it--nothing existed," Matti explained. "If such a judgment truly exists, the law requires an official copy--what's called a 'judgment extract'--from the court that issued it. Otherwise, this is not law; it's politics disguised as law."
He accused the IHEC of undermining due process. "In Iraqi election law, there is no such thing as exclusion for technical or vague legal reasons," he said. "If the issue were genuinely judicial, then show the document. And if it's merely technical, then it's a national failure of administration. You cannot punish candidates because the system itself is slow or inefficient." The Federal Cassation Court later ruled that several of these exclusions were unlawful, yet, according to Matti, the electoral commission refused to reinstate the candidates. "That is a blatant disregard of judicial authority," he said. "In any democracy, failure to implement a court order carries legal and moral consequences."
The boycott has raised alarm among minority-rights advocates, who see it as another sign of Iraq's weakening pluralism. International monitors have so far remained silent, though Matti confirmed that appeals were sent to the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and to foreign diplomatic observers.
He warned that the erosion of authentic minority representation undermines Iraq's democratic foundations. "True democracy is measured by how it protects its minorities," he said. "When that pillar collapses, what remains is democracy in name only."
Despite the current crisis, Matti voiced cautious optimism. "Our national rights are rooted in both the constitution and history," he said. "Political crises will pass, but the Assyrian presence in Iraq runs deeper than any election cycle. We will continue to work for reform -- inside or outside parliament."
As Iraq heads toward the polls, the absence of one of its most enduring Christian political movements will cast a long shadow over the credibility of the vote. For Matti and his supporters, the boycott is both a lament and a warning -- a reminder that in Iraq's fragile democracy, even constitutionally protected voices can be silenced by political design.
In his closing remarks, Matti turned directly to the Assyrian people, both inside Iraq and abroad. "Our decision to boycott is final," he said. "I want our people to understand that when your constitutional rights are taken away--when even your vote no longer carries meaning--then participation becomes meaningless." He urged members of the diaspora to use their voices to raise awareness. "To those outside Iraq--spread the word," he said. "If you can't vote because you were displaced by war, then make your protest heard. Post, write, publish. Flood the internet with truth. Every Assyrian, has a role to play, even from afar."
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