Sudani’s Bloc Leads Iraq Parliamentary Vote as Early Results Published

Overview

• The electoral commission reported turnout above 55 percent, exceeding the 41 percent recorded in 2021.
• Initial official results show the Reconstruction and Development coalition in first place with about 1.3 million votes, roughly 217,500 ahead of the next list.
• Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al Sudani declared victory and thanked voters, and sources told AFP his bloc is set to be the largest with around 50 of 329 seats, pending confirmation.
• The commission has released vote counts by province but has not yet allocated seats, triggering negotiations under Iraq’s convention of a Shiite prime minister, a Sunni parliamentary speaker, and a Kurdish president.
• The vote was closely watched by Iran and the United States, with pro‑Iran factions wielding growing clout and Baghdad balancing a pledged U.S. troop drawdown by September 2026 against American talks to retain a presence.