The Independent High Election Commission (IHEC) said 12,009,453 citizens cast their ballots to choose members of the 329-seat parliament.
According to the commission, 10,904,637 Iraqis voted on Tuesday, reflecting a 54.35% turnout, while 1,084,289 military and security personnel and 20,527 displaced persons participated in Sunday’s special voting, with turnouts of 82.52% and 77.35%, respectively.
A total of 7,743 candidates, including 2,247 women, paticipated in the elections.
The current parliamentary term began on January 9, 2022, and runs for four years. Under Iraqi law, elections must be held at least 45 days before the end of the term.
Shiite parties currently hold a majority in parliament, while key posts are traditionally divided among Iraq’s communities — the presidency to Kurds, the premiership to Shiite, and the speakership to Sunnis.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said his Reconstruction and Development Coalition led the vote and that negotiations to form a new government would begin soon.
In a televised address, al-Sudani said the coalition “came first in the parliamentary elections and will remain so.” He pledged the next government would “serve all Iraqis and protect the interests of everyone, including those who chose to boycott the vote.”
“Iraq belongs to all and will remain for all,” he said.
Preliminary results showed al-Sudani’s coalition leading in Baghdad with 411,026 votes.
“We call on everyone to place Iraq’s interests above all else and respect the will of the voters,” al-Sudani said, adding that talks would proceed “in a unifying and responsible national spirit aimed at shaping the new government.”
He said the coalition “is open to all parties without exception” and vowed to “act with objectivity, responsibility, and legality.”
“Our goal,” he added, “is to build solid understandings that respect the constitution and guarantee genuine participation for all in decision-making.”
Al-Sudani described the vote as “a remarkable step forward toward greater stability and progress.”
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres congratulated Iraqis for holding the elections and praised the IHEC for their effective organization.
“The Secretary General welcomes the generally calm and orderly conduct of the polls and trusts that political stakeholders will maintain the spirit of peace and respect for the electoral process as results are awaited,” his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.
Guterres called for a “timely and peaceful government formation process” that reflects the will of the Iraqi people and meets their aspirations for stability and development.
He reaffirmed the UN’s support for Iraq in strengthening its democratic institutions and building a “peaceful and prosperous future,” and thanked the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) for its two decades of electoral support.