According to preliminary data, authorities, and a spokeswoman for the Sadrist Movement, Shi’ite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-party Sadr’s was the largest victor in an Iraqi election on Monday, boosting the number of seats he has in parliament. Initial results indicated that former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki would have the second greatest victory among Shi’ite parties. Since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, which ousted Sunni tyrant Saddam Hussein and pushed the Shi’ite majority and the Kurds to power, Shi’ite organisations have dominated administrations and government formation.
The election was scheduled several months ahead of schedule in reaction to large demonstrations in 2019 that overthrew a government and revealed broad discontent with political elites who many Iraqis believe have enriched themselves at the expense of the country. However, a record low attendance indicated that a referendum advertised as an opportunity to take control from the governing elite will do nothing to unseat sectarian religious groups that have been in power since 2003. A calculation based on preliminary results from various provinces, as well as the capital Baghdad, corroborated by local government authorities, indicated that Sadr had won more than 70 seats, which, if confirmed, would give him significant clout in establishing a government.
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Sadr’s party, on the other hand, is only one among several that will have to join discussions in order to build a coalition capable of controlling parliament and forming an administration, a process that might take weeks or more. Sadr claimed victory and promised a nationalist government free of foreign meddling in a live speech carried on state television. “All embassies that do not intervene in Iraq’s internal affairs are welcome,” he added, adding that festivities will take place “without guns” in the streets. Since emerging first in the 2018 election, when his alliance gained 54 seats, Sadr has expanded his control over the Iraqi state.
Since the US invasion, the volatile populist cleric has been a major force in Iraqi politics, frequently acting as kingmaker. He opposes all foreign meddling in Iraq, whether by the US, which he fought an insurgency against after 2003, or by Iran, which he has chastised for its close participation in Iraqi affairs. According to sources close to Sadr, he visits Iran on a regular basis and has called for the departure of US soldiers from Iraq, where Washington retains a contingent of approximately 2,500 in the battle against Islamic State.
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Pro-reform candidates who emerged from the 2019 demonstrations also secured many seats in the 329-member parliament, according to preliminary data. According to preliminary election results and local authorities, Iran-backed parties with ties to paramilitary groups suspected of killing some of the roughly 600 persons killed in the demonstrations suffered a setback, gaining fewer seats than in the last election in 2018. According to the results, Kurdish parties gained 61 seats, including 32 for the Kurdistan Democratic Party, which controls the government of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region, and 15 for its competitor, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.
According to Iraq’s state news agency, the Taqaddum coalition of Sunni parliament speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi gained 38 seats, making it the second biggest in parliament. With 37 votes, Maliki’s State of Law alliance finished in third overall.
