ISTANBUL 

The Reconstruction and Development Coalition headed by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani took a strong lead in Iraq’s parliamentary elections in the capital Baghdad, the electoral commission said Wednesday.

Preliminary results announced by the commission showed that al-Sudan’s coalition got 411,026 votes, out of more than 4 million voters, followed by the Progress Party, led by former Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi, and the State of Law Coalition, headed by former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

In Ninawa, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) came first, followed by the Progress Party and the Reconstruction and Development, with over 2 million registered voters in the province.

⁠In Erbil, the KDP took the lead, while the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) ranked second and the National Stance Movement came third.

The commission said that voter turnout in Iraq’s parliamentary elections reached 56.11% nationwide.

A total of 7,743 candidates contested the elections, including 2,247 women.

The current parliamentary term began on January 9, 2022, and lasts four years. Under Iraqi law, parliamentary elections must be held at least 45 days before the end of the current legislative term.

Shia parties and blocs hold a majority in the current legislature. Power in Iraq is traditionally divided among the country’s main communities: the presidency goes to the Kurds, the premiership to the Shias, and the speakership of parliament to the Sunnis.