Overview
- More than 21 million Iraqis were eligible to choose 329 lawmakers from over 7,740 candidates, with preliminary results expected within 24 hours of polls closing.
- Authorities described Iraq’s voting as largely calm by midday after pre‑election violence that included a car‑bomb killing of a candidate and the deaths of two policemen in Kirkuk.
- Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al‑Sudani seeks a second term, yet the sectarian power‑sharing system means post‑vote deals, not raw totals, will decide the premiership.
- Influential cleric Muqtada al‑Sadr called for a boycott, reflecting voter frustration over corruption, patronage and reported vote‑buying.
- Egypt’s multi‑week lower‑house vote fills 568 of 596 seats, with 28 appointed by President Abdel Fattah al‑Sisi, as opposition exclusions and electoral rules point to a compliant parliament that analysts say could pave the way for extending his power beyond 2030.