Nearly 1.3 million members of the security forces and more than 26,500 internally displaced persons are eligible to vote ahead of Tuesday’s vote.
Members of the Iraqi security forces and internally displaced persons have begun voting in parliamentary elections. This is the sixth such attack since a US-led invasion toppled longtime ruler Saddam Hussein in 2003.
Voting will begin at 7am (0400 GMT) with 1.3 million members of the security forces at 809 polling stations and end at 6pm (1500 GMT) before security forces are deployed to provide security on Election Day on Tuesday.
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More than 26,500 internally displaced people will also be eligible to vote early at 97 polling stations in 27 locations across Iraq on Sunday, according to the Iraqi News Agency (INA).
Interior Minister Abdul Amir Al Shammari told INA that the special vote process was proceeding “smoothly and systematically”.
According to the INA, nearly 21 million Iraqis will be eligible to vote on Tuesday at 4,501 polling stations nationwide.
More than 7,750 candidates are running for the 329-member parliament, nearly one-third of whom are women. Under the law, 25 percent of seats are reserved for women and nine seats are reserved for religious minorities.
The term of the current parliament will begin on January 9, 2022 and last for four years until January 8, 2026.
The old electoral law, which was reinstated in 2023, is to apply to the ongoing elections and is seen by many as favoring large political parties. About 70 independents won the 2021 vote, but only 75 independents are running this year.
Observers also fear turnout could fall below the record low of 41% in 2021, reflecting voter apathy and skepticism in a country marked by entrenched leadership, mismanagement and endemic corruption allegations.
Before the election, there were widespread accusations of corruption and vote-buying, and 848 candidates were disqualified by election authorities, sometimes for vague reasons such as insulting religious ceremonies or military personnel.
Iraq’s past elections have been marred by violence, including assassinations of candidates, attacks on polling stations and clashes between supporters of different blocs. Although the overall level of violence has subsided, candidates were assassinated in the run-up to this year’s elections.
Influential Shiite leader Moqtada al-Sadr called on his supporters to boycott what he called “flawed elections.”
Al-Sadr’s coalition won the largest number of seats in 2021, but later withdrew after negotiations to form a government failed due to conflict with rival Shi’ite parties. Since then, he has boycotted the political system.
Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani, who will be elected in 2022 with the support of pro-Iran political parties, is seeking a second term and is expected to win a sizable bloc.
Other front-runners include influential Shiite figures such as former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki and Islamic scholar Ammar al-Hakim.
By convention after the invasion of Iraq, a Shiite Muslim holds the powerful post of prime minister and a Sunni the speaker of parliament, while the largely ceremonial office of president is held by a Kurd.
