Iraq yesterday closed its airspace and land border crossings as voters headed to the polls to elect a parliament that many hope will deliver much-needed reforms after decades of conflict and mismanagement.
The vote was to be held next year, but was brought forward in response to a popular uprising in the capital, Baghdad, and southern provinces in late 2019.
Tens of thousands of people took to the streets to protest endemic corruption, poor services and rising unemployment. They were met with deadly force by security forces firing live ammunition and tear gas. More than 600 people were killed and thousands injured within just a few months.
Photo: Reuters
Although authorities gave in and called the early elections, the death toll and the heavy-handed crackdown prompted many young activists and demonstrators who took part in the protests to later call for a boycott of the polls.
A series of kidnappings and targeted assassinations that killed more than 35 people has further discouraged many from taking part.
A total of 3,449 candidates are vying for 329 seats in the parliamentary elections, which are the sixth held since the fall of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein after the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
More than 250,000 security personnel across the country were tasked with protecting the vote. Soldiers, police and anti-terrorism forces fanned out and deployed outside polling stations, some of which were ringed by barbed wire. Voters were patted down and searched before going in to cast their ballots.
Iraqi President Barham Salih and Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi urged Iraqis to vote amid widespread apathy and skepticism from many.
“Get out and vote, and change your reality for the sake of Iraq and your future,” said al-Kadhimi, repeating it three times after he cast his ballot at a school in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, home to foreign embassies and government offices.
“To those who hesitate, put your trust in God and go and choose those you deem appropriate,” he added, reflecting concerns about a low turnout. “This is our opportunity for reform.”
The 2018 elections saw just 44 percent of eligible voters cast their ballots, a record low. The results were widely contested. There are concerns of a similar or even lower turnout this time.
Iraq’s top Shiite cleric and a widely respected authority, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, has called for a large turnout, saying that voting remains the best way for Iraqis to help shape their nation’s future.
In the Shiite holy city of Najaf, influential cleric Moqtada al-Sadr cast his ballot, swarmed by local journalists. Al-Sadr won a majority of seats in the 2018 elections.
A tight race is expected between the al-Sadr Sairoun list and the Fatah Alliance, led by paramilitary leader Hadi al-Ameri, which came in second in the previous election.
The Fatah Alliance is comprised of parties affiliated with the Popular Mobilization Forces, an umbrella group of mostly pro-Iran Shiite militias that rose to prominence during the war against the Sunni extremist Islamic State group. It includes some of the most hard-line pro-Iran factions, such as the Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia.
Al-Sadr, a black-turbaned nationalist and populist leader, is also close to Iran, but publicly rejects its political influence.
The election was taking place under a new election law that divides Iraq into smaller constituencies — another demand of the activists who took part in the 2019 protests — and allows for more independent candidates.
Iraq is also for the first time introducing biometric cards for voters. To prevent abuse of electronic voter cards, they are to be disabled for 72 hours after each person votes, to avoid double voting.
Yet despite all these measures, claims of vote buying, intimidation and manipulation have persisted.
The head of Iraq’s electoral commission has said that initial election results would be announced within 24 hours.
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