Prime Minister al-Sudani’s alliance wins parliamentary elections in Iraq. Whether he can remain head of government will probably only become clear in the coming weeks and months.
According to the election commission, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s coalition emerged victorious in Iraq’s parliamentary elections. Therefore, Sudani could be on the verge of a second term. However, as no party has a sufficient majority, negotiations between Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish parties over forming a government and dividing ministerial posts are likely to be protracted and take months.
According to official figures, voter turnout reached 56.11 percent, higher than four years ago when it fell to 41 percent.
Frustration over lack of reform
More than 300 observers, including representatives from the UN, the Arab League and international monitors, monitored the election process. More than 20 years after the US invasion and overthrow of former ruler Saddam Hussein and years of reign of terror by ISIS militias in several parts of the country, stability in the Mesopotamian region is still considered fragile.
Therefore, the new government in Baghdad faces major challenges. There is dissatisfaction among society regarding the lack of real reforms and improvements in everyday life. The government must prevent dissatisfaction over widespread corruption from turning into unrest, as occurred during mass protests in 2019 and 2020.
The election campaign was marred by violence
Most importantly, many young Iraqis are disillusioned and see the elections simply as a means for the established parties to divide Iraq’s oil wealth among themselves. Both the US and neighboring Iran are trying to assert their influence in the country. Given tensions between different ethnic and sectarian groups, ongoing corruption and violence, many people’s distrust of politics is deepening.
The election campaign was marred by violence. A Sunni candidate was killed in a car bomb last month. Shortly before polling stations opened on Tuesday, two police officers were killed in a shootout outside a candidate’s office in Kirkuk province in the north of the country. Influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called for a boycott of the election – demanding reforms and tougher action against corruption.
