The tribe of late Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is quietly searching for a candidate to represent it in Iraq’s parliamentary elections scheduled for the end of 2025, despite strong internal opposition and growing fears of political backlash, tribal and political sources said.
The al-Bu Nasir tribe, historically tied to Saddam, has long refrained from openly fielding candidates due to deep-rooted hostility and political stigmatization that have persisted since the former regime’s fall in 2003.
Influential groups in Baghdad, particularly those with links to Iran-backed factions, are seen as likely to revive accusations and historical grievances if a candidate emerges from the tribe, the sources added.
The effort comes as armed factions, some aligned with the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), intensify their political outreach in Salahuddin province, where Saddam was born and remains a divisive figure.
Prominent families from the al-Bu Nasir tribe are still barred from returning to their ancestral village of Al-Awja, near Tikrit, which remains under the control of the PMF’s 35th Brigade. The area has been off-limits to many former residents due to lingering security concerns and political sensitivities.
While the tribe remains divided on whether to enter the political fray, the rising influence of militias and a shifting electoral landscape may prompt some factions within it to reconsider their traditional stance of political withdrawal.
Two developments in Salahuddin province last week have offered a glimpse into Iraq’s shifting electoral landscape, as both Shiite militias and Sunni tribal leaders maneuver ahead of the elections in the Sunni-majority region north of Baghdad.
In a move that raised eyebrows, Qais al-Khazali, head of the Iran-aligned Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia, met with tribal leaders and local figures in Tikrit, the provincial capital.
The meeting stirred speculation over a potential alliance with Saddam’s al-Bu Nasir tribe, once the backbone of the former regime.
At the same time, senior figures from the al-Bu Nasir held private talks to discuss whether to nominate a candidate for parliament, according to sources close to the tribe. But the meetings ended without agreement, reflecting deep divisions over the risks of returning to the political stage.
“Many families within the tribe remain hesitant,” one tribal source said. “They fear political competition could become a noose around what remains of the Saddam legacy.”
A faction within the tribe argues that re-engaging in politics is essential to resolve long-standing issues, chief among them, the inability to return to their home village of Al-Awja.
But another current warns that any attempt to re-enter politics could bring more harm than good, with one source calling the potential price of representation “too heavy for anyone to bear.”
Analysts say any successful reintegration of Saddam’s tribe into Iraqi politics, especially through alliances with Shiite factions, is still premature.
Still, some tribal figures believe the door is not entirely closed. “The al-Bu Nasir are trying to change their circumstances, even if symbolically, by participating in the political process,” said Marwan al-Jubara, spokesman for the Salahuddin Tribal Council.
“They’re thinking about a future in a post-Saddam Iraq,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat. “They want to return to their region, but right now, they live outside it and are still banned from going back.”
