Iraqis were casting ballots on Monday in the first elections for provincial councils in a decade, with the ruling Shiite alliance likely to extend its grip on power amid a boycott by populist cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, its main political rival. The election sets the stage for parliamentary elections scheduled for 2025, which will determine the balance of power in a nation where groups with close ties to Iran have gained ground in politics and the economy in recent years.
Military vehicles carrying soldiers and special forces, and riot police arrived in Kirkuk amid reports that a Kurdish protest was being planned in the Iraqi city. A senior officer said the security forces have received orders from top officials to prevent any unlicensed protest. The pro-Iran Coordination Framework and Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) have agreed for leader of the Sovereignty coalition, Khamis Khanjar, and others to play a mediator role to defuse tensions in Kirkuk, said informed sources.
The Iraqi parliament gave a vote of confidence to incoming PM Muhammad Shia al-Sudani, approving his government program and his cabinet with 21 ministers. Sudani pledged to hold early elections within one year.
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