Iraqis vote in a parliamentary election marked by safety, political boycott

By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA and STELLA MARTANY, Related Press

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqis headed to the polls on Tuesday to vote in a parliamentary election marked by tight safety and a boycott by a significant political bloc.

1 of 5

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani his, proper, votes within the nation’s parliamentary election in Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photograph/Hadi Mizban)

Increase

A complete of 8,703 polling stations had been open throughout the nation for the final election. Members of the safety forces and displaced individuals dwelling in camps forged their ballots in early voting on Sunday.

Turnout was sparse within the early hours Tuesday at polling stations visited by Related Press journalists. Preliminary outcomes had been anticipated on Wednesday.

Solely 21.4 million out of a complete of 32 million eligible voters up to date their data and obtained voter playing cards forward of the polling, a lower from the final parliamentary election in 2021, when about 24 million voters registered.

The election is happening in opposition to the backdrop of main shifts within the area over the previous two years — together with the wars in Gaza and Lebanon after the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led assaults on southern Israel, the Israel-Iran struggle in June, and the autumn of Syrian President Bashar Assad final December.

These developments come as U.S. strain intensifies on the Iraqi authorities to curb the affect of Iran-aligned armed factions, a few of which have candidates taking part in Tuesday’s vote.

Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani, who’s working for a second time period, arrived at a polling station in Baghdad to forged his vote, alongside together with his mom.

The election “asserts the precept of peaceable switch of energy” and “the individuals’s dedication to this democratic follow,” Sudani mentioned.

Boycott by a significant bloc

The favored Sadrist Motion, led by influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, boycotted the polls. Al-Sadr’s bloc received the most important variety of seats within the 2021 election however later withdrew after failed negotiations over forming a authorities, amid a standoff with rival Shiite events. He has since boycotted the political system.

On the entrance to Sadr Metropolis — a sprawling stronghold of the Sadrist motion on the outskirts of Baghdad — safety was noticeably tighter than in different components of the Iraqi capital. Iraqi particular forces and federal police had been deployed throughout the world, with armored autos and Humvees stationed alongside the primary roads, manned by closely armed troopers.

A big banner confirmed al-Sadr carrying army fatigues and holding a weapon, with the phrases, “My individuals in Sadr Metropolis are boycotting.” On a essential Sadr Metropolis avenue, all retailers had been shuttered, and posters of slain Sadr loyalists lined the partitions.

Polling station had been open however had been virtually fully empty. At one, which serves 3,300 voters, station director Ahmed al-Mousawi mentioned a number of hours into the balloting that fewer than 60 individuals had voted.

“The Sadrist boycott has had a significant impression,” he mentioned. “In earlier elections, there was once lengthy traces from the early morning hours, however right this moment the distinction is dramatic.”

Sabih Dakhel, a 54-year-old voter who got here together with his spouse, mentioned that they had determined to vote in hopes that new elected officers may enhance dwelling circumstances for individuals like them.

“We had been in a position to vote freely right this moment, however the Sadrist boycott has deeply affected participation,” Dakhel mentioned. “Sadr Metropolis feels virtually like a lockdown due to Muqtada al-Sadr’s name for his followers to remain dwelling.”

Tensions and apathy in Kirkuk

Within the northern metropolis of Kirkuk, violence broke out in a single day forward of the election, killing two cops.

Town, with a blended inhabitants of Sunnis, Shia, Kurds and Turkmen, has been the scene of a territorial dispute for years between the central authorities and regional authorities within the semiautonomous northern Kurdish area. It was the location of violent protests in 2023.

An announcement from Iraq’s safety forces mentioned that at round 2 a.m. Tuesday, a brawl broke out between two teams, starting as a fistfight however escalating into capturing. Two safety personnel had been killed and two civilians injured, it mentioned. Fourteen individuals had been arrested.

The assertion didn’t say what induced the struggle, however some native residents mentioned Tuesday that it had been an altercation between supporters of rival candidates.

By the point the polls opened, calm had been restored and a gradual stream of voters lined up at polling stations, though many expressed apathy in regards to the course of.

“We don’t actually count on a lot to alter apart from the faces of our representatives on the parliament, however voting has develop into one thing we do out of behavior, very similar to individuals who pray just because it’s a part of their routine,” mentioned 60-year-old Nouraddin Salih, who forged his vote for the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, considered one of Iraq’s two essential Kurdish events.

Ban Bahnam, 40, a member of the Assyrian minority, additionally mentioned she expects little from the elections.

“Our persons are nonetheless leaving the nation hopelessly,” she mentioned. “Even with out hopes or expectations, we nonetheless come and vote.”

Authorized challenges

Forward of the election, there have been widespread allegations of corruption and vote-buying.

Final week, safety providers arrested 46 individuals accused of illegally shopping for and promoting voter playing cards in sting operations in a number of provinces, and a few 1,841 playing cards of their possession had been seized.

The election outcomes might additionally face authorized challenges. The top of Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council wrote in a press release revealed on the council’s web site that the election date set for Tuesday is unconstitutional, noting that the vote was initially scheduled for Nov. 24.

Martany reported from Kirkuk, Iraq.