Iraq holds first provincial elections in a decade

Iraqis vote in first provincial elections in a decade, with Shi'ite alliance likely to extend power & test of democracy.

Iraqis were casting ballots on December 18 in the first elections for provincial councils in a decade, with the ruling Shi'ite Muslim 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.

The vote is also seen as a test of Iraq's young democracy, installed by the U.S. after toppling dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003.

Voter apathy has been on the rise among a mostly young population who feel that they have not seen the benefits of Iraq's massive oil wealth, much of which is misdirected or stolen in a country ranked among the world's most corrupt.

Senior politicians called for a high turnout in statements made to the media after they cast their votes at a special center set up for top officials in a plush hall at one of Baghdad's finest hotels.

Just over 16 million Iraqis registered to vote on December 18, but that was fewer than in 2021's parliamentary polls, when authorities said 22 million were eligible. Turnout then was 41% of eligible voters.

Local elections last took place in 2013. They were postponed due to the war against Islamic State militants who took over large parts of Iraq but were eventually defeated.