Anadolu staff
11 November 2025•Update: 11 November 2025
BAGHDAD
Voting began in Iraq on Tuesday to elect a new parliament in polls that will shape the country’s political scene for the next four years.
Approximately 21 million voters are eligible to cast ballots to elect members of the 329-seat parliament, which will elect the president and grant confidence to the government.
Polls opened at 7 am local time (0400GMT) and will close at 6 pm (1500GMT) with no extensions.
The results of the elections are scheduled to be announced within 24 hours of the vote, and will be officially confirmed after appeals are examined.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said the elections are taking place "in a safe and stable atmosphere," appreciating the role of the security forces.
"The elections confirm the principle of peaceful transfer of power, and the government has paid great attention to that,” Sudani told a press conference after he cast his vote at a polling station in the capital Baghdad.
The Iraqi premier said the elections are being conducted on the constitutional date and with the presence of international observers “to present a clear picture of the electoral process.”
According to the electoral commission, over 300 international observers and 1,500 journalists have been accredited to monitor the polls. The commission also confirmed that representatives from the Arab League and the United Nations take part in monitoring the polls.
“The voting process is running very smoothly amid tight security measures to ensure the safety and integrity of the elections,” Omar Mohamed of the Independent High Election Commission, told the state-run Al-Iraqiya News Channel.
Well-organized
UN Special Representative for Iraq and the head of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), Mohamed Al-Hassan, described the vote as a “democratic celebration embraced by all Iraqis.”
“The UN mission is satisfied with the Iraqi elections,” which are “well-organized and conducted by Iraqis themselves,” Hassan told reporters in Baghdad after visiting several polling stations in the capital.
According to the Interior Ministry, two police officers were killed in clashes at night with the guards of a candidate outside his residency in Kirkuk in northern Iraq.
Spokesman Abbas al-Bahadli said that the ministry “has overcome all the challenges and obstacles, and the electoral process is proceeding according to the planned schedule.”
The last legislative elections in Iraq were held on Oct. 10, 2021, two years after widespread protests forced former Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi to resign. Mustafa Al-Kadhimi succeeded him and oversaw the elections.
The current parliament, dominated by Shia parties and blocs, began its term on Jan. 9, 2022, for four years to end on Jan. 8, 2026.
Under Iraqi law, legislative elections must be held at least 45 days before the end of the parliament’s term.
Iraq’s three branches of government are traditionally divided by sect: the presidency goes to Kurds, the prime ministry to Shias, and the parliamentary speaker to Sunnis, ensuring all segments of society are represented in government.
