Coalition led by Iraqi PM al-Sudani wins parliamentary elections
The Reconstruction and Development Coalition has won the election in Iraq, with voter turnout just over half of eligible voters. The election period was marred by violence amid a democracy that continues to be fragile more than two decades after the toppling of Saddam Hussein.
Baghdad (dpa) – A coalition led by Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani won Iraq's parliamentary election, according to local media on Wednesday.
After counting more than 99% of the votes, al-Sudani's Reconstruction and Development Coalition secured more than 1.3 million votes, local media reported, citing the electoral commission.
More than 1 million votes were cast for second-placed Kurdistan Democratic Party, led by President Masoud Barzani. Voter turnout was 56.1%, the electoral commission said.
More than 21 million people were eligible to vote to fill the 329 seats in parliament, more than two decades after the US invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein and subsequent years of conflict against the extremist militia organisation Islamic State.
Despite regular elections, Iraq's democracy remains fragile and plagued by corruption and mismanagement, and many Iraqis are sceptical of elections. The campaign was marred by violence, including the killing of Sunni candidate Safaa al-Mashhadani in Baghdad last month.
On Tuesday, two policemen were killed when a gunfight broke out outside a parliamentary candidate's office in Kirkuk province, the Interior Ministry said in a statement. Two civilians were injured and taken to hospital. Fourteen people were arrested, the ministry said.