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Iraqis Vote Tuesday in Fragmented Parliamentary Race With Turnout in Doubt

The Sadrist boycott has raised doubts about the next government's mandate.

Overview

  • Voters will choose 329 MPs from 7,744 candidates, with at least 25 percent of seats reserved for women.
  • Only 21.4 million of roughly 32 million eligible voters have updated cards, and 2021 turnout was 41 percent, feeding expectations of low participation.
  • Early ballots were cast Sunday by security personnel and about 26,000 displaced people ahead of Tuesday’s main vote.
  • The UN mission’s chief, Mohamed Al Hassan, urged Iraqis to participate, calling voting their democratic right.
  • Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani seeks a second term against rivals inside the Shia Coordination Framework, including Nouri al-Maliki and PMF-aligned parties expected to wield influence in coalition talks.