Who Paid to Be Seen? Iraq’s $1.42M Facebook Spend, Province by Province
In 30 days, Iraqis spent more than $1.4 million on sponsored political posts, most in Baghdad, least in Halabja. The Huqooq Movement led nationwide spending. Its leader said, “Social media is one of our outreach channels, but it is not yet our primary one.”
In the Kurdistan Region, candidates from the KDP and PUK spent the most; one KDP candidate alone put more than $5,000 into sponsored posts. Meta data (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp) show $1,424,963 in spending between September 24 and October 23, 2025, including $473,713 in the seven core campaign days, October 17–23.
Facebook remains the leading electioneering platform, functioning more “news-like” than Instagram or TikTok.
Spending by province (Sep 24–Oct 23, 2025)
Baghdad — $342,573
Nineveh — $120,574
Sulaimani — $81,458
Basra — $80,238
Dhi Qar — $77,290
Babil — $74,461
Erbil — $72,570
Najaf — $71,672
Diyala — $63,318
Kirkuk — $48,981
Salah al-Din — $46,660
Diwaniyah — $46,208
Karbala — $44,516
Wasit — $42,024
Anbar — $37,643
Maysan — $35,165
Duhok — $32,827
Muthanna — $30,844
Halabja — $3,961
Top-spending pages (nationwide)
1. Huqooq Movement (political wing of Kataib Hezbollah) — $13,590
2. Mahmoud Hussein (Azm alliance #1 candidate) — $12,611
3. Huqooq – Basra — $12,577
4. Saqurna Alliance (led by Mashan al-Jibouri; focused on Salah al-Din) — $10,836
5. Saqurna Alliance – media page — $10,836
6. Huqooq – Baghdad — $8,984
7. Saqurna – Diyala — $8,734
8. Nouri al-Maliki — $8,502
9. Nouri Ahmad Rahim al-Shammari (on PM Sudani’s list) — $7,369
10. Sadiqoon Alliance – Basra (Asaib Ahl al-Haq, led by Qais al-Khazali) — $7,020
Kurdistan parties spent less overall than many federal-level actors. In the Region, Benas Doski (KDP, Duhok) led with $5,803, followed by Briyar Rashid (PUK, Sulaimani) at $2,561. Other KDP/PUK candidates generally spent $1,500 or less.
Candidates in the Kurdistan Region say face-to-face visits remain their top tool, but social media takes a meaningful share of budgets. One KDP candidate said roughly 35% of campaign spending goes to social ads.
Regulatory note
On October 22, 2025, Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission met Meta, requesting spending statistics and measures to distinguish official candidate accounts from fakes.