Iraqi PM Sudani’s coalition leads parliamentary elections count as voter turnout tops 56%

Of Iraq’s 46 million people, just over 12 million cast ballots, producing a nationwide turnout of 56.11%, one of the highest in recent years.

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s Reconstruction and Development Coalition has established a substantial lead across eight provinces in Iraq’s parliamentary elections held on 11 November, according to preliminary results released by the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) in Baghdad on Wednesday evening.

Of Iraq’s 46 million people, about 21.5 million were eligible to vote, since many did not get or renew their voting cards. Only 12,003,143 people voted, so the IHEC reported a nationwide turnout of 56.11 per cent, one of the highest in recent years.

Sudani, who wants a second term, will need to form a broader coalition with other Shia, Sunni, and Kurdish groups to win. This challenge is reflected in the distribution of seats and the performance of other major parties.

The commission stated that Sudani’s Reconstruction and Development Coalition, a Shia-led alliance, garnered 411,026 votes in Baghdad, securing 15 of the 69 seats. The Progress (Taqaddum) Party, a Sunni-led party under former Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi, came next, followed by the State of Law Coalition, led by former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, also a Shia leader, in third place. Taqaddum and Maliki’s coalition won 10 and 8 seats, respectively.

Since the 2003 US-led invasion, a sectarian system has reserved the premiership for a Shia, the presidency for a Kurd, and the speaker role for a Sunni. Despite young voters’ frustration with established parties and Iraq’s oil wealth, youth turnout was high. A total of 7,743 candidates, including 2,247 women, ran in the election.

In Karbala, Sudani led with 78,000 votes, while the State of Law coalition had 59,000. Turnout was over 47 per cent of the 316,994 registered voters.

In Nineveh, more than 1.35 million people voted. Masoud Barzani’s Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) led with 189,208 votes, followed by Taqaddum with 157,328 and the Reconstruction and Development Coalition with 146,724.

Turning to Erbil, the KDP led with 369,118 votes, followed by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) with 97,301 votes, and the National Stance opposition movement, led by Ali Hama Saleh, with 63,288 votes.

In Sulaimaniyah, the PUK led with 241,022 votes. National Stance was next with 75,376 votes, followed by the New Generation Movement, the opposition party, with 69,752 votes. The KDP came in fourth. In Duhok, the KDP was in the lead, followed by the Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU).

In the south, Sudani’s coalition led in Muthana, Dhi Qar, and Maysan. The Badr Organisation and State of Law came second in those provinces.

In Basra, 826,728 people voted. The Al-Tasmim Coalition, led by Basra Governor Asaad Al-Eidani, came first with 174,097 votes, followed by the Sadiqun Bloc, which is linked to Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq, an Iran-backed Iraqi Shia militia led by Qais al-Khazali. Sudani’s coalition came third.

In the western and central provinces, Taqaddum led in Anbar Province with 212,000 votes. Sudani’s coalition did well in Qadisiyyah Province. In Salahaddin province, Taqaddum was also first. In Najaf, turnout exceeded 43 per cent, with Sudani’s coalition leading.

While in Kirkuk, in the north, more than 619,000 people cast their votes, resulting in a 65 per cent turnout. The PUK led with 178,629 votes, followed by Taqaddum with 107,016, the Unified Turkmen Front with 66,175, and the KDP in fourth place.

In Diyala, turnout exceeded 57 per cent, with 599,000 voters. The Badr Organisation, a Shia political party and paramilitary group known as Iran’s oldest ally in Iraq, led with 105,225 votes. Taqaddum was next with 101,602, and the Siyadah Sunni Coalition had 77,458 votes.

In Babylon, located in central Iraq, 561,825 people cast their votes. Sudani led with 91,379 votes, the Sadiqun Movement was second with 79,504, and Maliki was third.

The KDP has secured more than one million votes nationwide, making it the party with the highest vote total across Iraq. Party officials have called for amendments to Iraq’s election law to ensure fairness and recognition of the party’s popular support in future elections.

IHEC stated that it will release the final certified results after all complaints have been reviewed and approved by the Court of Cassation.