Overview
- Iraqis voted on Nov. 11 to fill 329 parliamentary seats, with more than 7,740 candidates and over 21 million eligible voters, and initial results expected within about 24 hours.
- Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani seeks a second term and is viewed as a leading favorite, though post-election negotiations to allocate top posts could take weeks or months under the muhasasa rules.
- Influential cleric Muqtada al-Sadr urged a boycott, public frustration over corruption and vote-buying persists, and pre-voting for security forces and displaced people drew over 82% turnout monitored by UN and international observers.
- Iran-linked Shia militias and their political wings are competing for seats, and both Tehran and Washington are closely watching outcomes given their stakes in Iraq’s security and policy direction.
- Egypt’s multi-week lower-house vote has begun with 568 seats contested and 28 to be appointed by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, as analysts cite opposition exclusions and forecast a strongly pro-Sisi chamber with final results due Dec. 25.