Iran-backed Shia parties, including Nouri al-Maliki's State of Law Coalition and Hadi Amiri's "We Build Coalition", emerged victorious in several provinces.
Boycott or vote: Iraqis divided as polls open for provincial council elections thenationalnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thenationalnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Provincial council elections kicked off in Iraq on Saturday. Voters from the security agencies are taking part in the first phase of the elections, while the vote will be open to the general public on Monday. Over 35 coalitions are running for council seats across 15 provinces, except the Kurdistan Region. For the first time, the elections are being held amid a boycott by influential cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who had previously declared that he was quitting political life. He had also ordered his followers to boycott the vote.
ISHM: December 7 - 14, 2023 - Iraq reliefweb.int - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from reliefweb.int Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.