Iraq closed its airspace and land border crossings on Sunday as voters headed to the polls to elect a parliament that many hope will deliver much needed reforms after decades of conflict and mismanagement.
The vote was scheduled to be held next year but was brought forward in response to a popular uprising in the capital Baghdad and southern provinces in late 2019.
Tens of thousands of people took to the streets to protest endemic corruption, poor services and rising unemployment. They were met with deadly force by security forces firing live ammunition and tear gas. More than 600 people were killed and thousands injured within just a few months.
Although authorities gave in and called the early elections, the death toll and the heavy-handed crackdown prompted many young activists and demonstrators who took part in the protests to later call for a boycott of the polls.
A series of kidnappings and targeted assassinations that killed more than 35 people has further discouraged many from taking part.
Some 25 million Iraqis are eligible to vote. A total of 3,449 candidates are vying for 329 seats in the parliamentary elections, which will be the sixth held since the fall of Saddam Hussein after the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
More than 250,000 security personnel across the country were tasked with protecting the vote. Soldiers, police and anti-terrorism forces fanned out and deployed outside polling stations, some of which were ringed by barbed wire. Voters were patted down and searched before going in to cast their ballots.
President Barham Salih and Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi urged Iraqis to vote amid widespread apathy and skepticism from many.
“Get out and vote, and change your reality for the sake of Iraq and your future,” said al-Kadhimi, repeating it three times after he cast his ballot at a school in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, home to foreign embassies and government offices.
“To those who hesitate, put your trust in God and go and choose those you deem appropriate,” he added, reflecting concerns over a low turnout. “This is our opportunity for reform.”
Salih and Kadhimi had urged Iraqis on Saturday to “correct course” and elect whom they deem the best suited manage their country’s future.
In a televised address to the people, Salih called for a heavy turnout in the polls so that the desired change is achieved.
The elections are an “opportunity to build a state that can correct wrong courses, confront major challenges and eliminate corruption.”
Kadhimi, for his part, urged the people to choose whom they deem to be the “best suited and most honest to serve Iraq and the Iraqis.”
Iraq’s top Shiite cleric and a widely respected authority, Ali al-Sistani, has called for a large turnout, saying that voting remains the best way for Iraqis to take part in shaping their country’s future.
In Najaf city, influential cleric Moqtada al-Sadr cast his ballot, swarmed by local journalists. Sadr came on top in the 2018 elections, winning a majority of seats.
A tight race is expected between the al-Sadr Sairoon list and the Fatah alliance, led by paramilitary leader Hadi al-Ameri, which came in second in the previous election.
The Fatah alliance is comprised of parties affiliated with the Popular Mobilization Forces, an umbrella group of mostly pro-Iran militias that rose to prominence during the war against the ISIS group. It includes some of the most hardline pro-Iran factions, such as the Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia.
The election is the first since the fall of Saddam to proceed without a curfew in place, reflecting the significantly improved security situation in the country following the defeat of ISIS in 2017. Previous votes were marred by fighting and deadly bomb attacks that have plagued the country for decades.
As a security precaution, Iraq has closed its airspace and scrambled its air force from Saturday night until early Monday morning.
In another first, Sunday’s election is taking place under a new election law that divides Iraq into smaller constituencies — another demand of the activists who took part in the 2019 protests — and allows for more independent candidates.
A UN Security Council resolution adopted earlier this year authorized an expanded team to monitor the elections. There will be up to 600 international observers in place, including 150 from the United Nations.
Iraq is also for the first time introducing biometric cards for voters. To prevent abuse of electronic voter cards, they will be disabled for 72 hours after each person votes, to avoid double voting.
But despite all these measures, claims of vote buying, intimidation and manipulation have persisted.
The head of Iraq’s electoral commission has said that initial election results will be announced within 24 hours.
Soldiers, prisoners and displaced people voted in special early polls in Iraq on Friday.
