Iraq’s election results are in – now we wait for the effective results. While ballot counting has ended and figures for how each electoral list has fared were announced on Wednesday night, political parties will now come together, each using the number of votes they won as leverage to try to get a piece of Iraq’s governing pie.
Iraq’s latest elections produced a surprising turnout of 56 per cent. Most voters had expressed a lack of interest in voting and popular Shiite cleric Moqtada Al Sadr had encouraged his followers to boycott the election.
Some did stay away, and the highest proportions of voting have been recorded in Sunni-majority and Kurdish-majority provinces. Less of a surprise was Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani attracting the most votes.
Mr Al Sudani ran on a platform promising “reconstruction and development", the name of his electoral list. The primary concerns, besides addressing unemployment, which is at more than 30 per cent among young people, are the reconstruction of Iraq’s cities and developing the economy and society 22 years after the toppling of Saddam Hussein.
T
Continue Reading on The National UAE
This preview shows approximately 15% of the article. Read the full story on the publisher's website to support quality journalism.