Iraq’s Early Voting Signals Calm Start to a Pivotal Election Under U.S. and Iranian Shadows

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Members of Iraq’s security forces and its internally displaced population headed to the polls on Sunday in early voting ahead of the country’s highly anticipated parliamentary elections, set for November 11.

Polling stations opened at 0400 GMT for members of the armed forces—some 1.3 million of Iraq’s more than 21 million eligible voters—who are casting their ballots early as they will be deployed for security duties on general election day, according to the state-run Iraqi News Agency.

More than 26,500 internally displaced Iraqis also took part in the early voting process, representing a key demographic still grappling with the lingering consequences of years of conflict and instability.

The upcoming elections mark Iraq’s sixth parliamentary vote since the 2003 U.S.-led Operation Iraqi Freedom that toppled Saddam Hussein’s regime and ushered in a new political order dominated by Shiite parties.

More than 7,740 candidates, nearly one-third of them women, are vying for seats in the 329-member Council of Representatives.

Jumana Ghalai, spokesperson for Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), told Kurdistan24’s correspondent in Baghdad, Saif Ali, in the early hours of Sunday morning that the early voting process began smoothly and on time, across all provinces of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. 

Ghalai confirmed that “no technical malfunctions” had been recorded in any of the electronic voting devices and that the entire process had launched successfully nationwide.

In a statement to Kurdistan24, another commission official confirmed that all polling stations opened on time, electronic voting machines were functioning flawlessly, and praised the disciplined participation of Iraq’s security forces—painting a picture of a well-organized and secure start to the democratic exercise.

Hassan Hadi, a member of the IHEC media team, provided further details, noting that “since 7:00 AM, more than 800 polling stations have been opened to welcome more than one million and 300 thousand special voters.”

He emphasized that the voting process “is proceeding very well and without any problems, and all centers and stations were opened at their designated times.”

The success of the logistics, Hadi said, was due not only to the Commission’s planning but also to “the cooperation of the voters themselves,” as he commended the security forces for “organizing their members to participate in the voting process.”

Ghalai also addressed questions about the traditional use of indelible ink for voter verification, explaining that the practice is no longer necessary due to the nationwide rollout of biometric voter cards.

“The use of ink has become purely symbolic and no longer essential,” she stated, pointing to the three-stage verification system that links each voter’s live fingerprint to their biometric card and the ballot machine, ensuring transparency and preventing fraud.

This advanced system, she added, represents a major step forward for election integrity, offering full real-time verification before any ballot is cast.

Reports from the ground in the Kurdistan Region confirmed the same picture of discipline and efficiency. Didawan Khurshid, spokesperson for the Zerevani Forces Command, told Kurdistan24 that the Peshmerga were voting “in an orderly fashion from their trenches according to a meticulous schedule,” describing the sight as “a sign of the complete commitment of the forces to the democratic process.”

Analysts have praised this early phase of voting as a promising sign for the broader election, noting that Iraq’s ability to manage a secure and transparent special vote could restore a measure of public confidence ahead of Tuesday’s nationwide polls.

This year’s contest will operate under an older electoral framework reinstated by parliament in 2023, which leaders and members of smaller political parties say advantages larger political blocs at the expense of smaller movements and independents.

In the 2021 election, around 70 independent candidates secured seats, buoyed by the energy of youth-led protests calling for reform. In contrast, only 75 independents are running this year—a sign of fading grassroots momentum amid persistent political fatigue and disillusionment.

Observers warn that voter turnout may sink even lower than the 41 percent record low registered in 2021, reflecting widespread scepticism toward Iraq’s entrenched political elite, persistent corruption, and the perceived futility of reform.

Influential Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, whose movement won the largest share of seats in 2021 before withdrawing from parliament, has called for a boycott of what he denounced as a “flawed election.”

Since the fall of Saddam Hussein, Iraq’s Shiite majority has remained the central power broker in national politics. As usual, key Shiite figures, such as former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, cleric Ammar al-Hakim, and several leaders of pro-Iranian militias, are expected to play prominent roles in shaping the next government.

Current Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani—backed by pro-Iranian factions—is seeking a second term and is widely expected to secure a significant parliamentary bloc.

By convention, the prime minister’s post is reserved for a Shiite Muslim, while a Sunni Muslim serves as parliament speaker and a Kurd holds the largely ceremonial presidency.

The eventual formation of Iraq’s next government will depend on post-election coalition negotiations, with rival blocs vying to command the largest alliance within parliament.

In a striking geopolitical turn just days before Iraq’s elections, Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein revealed on Saturday that the United States has formally placed six Iraqi armed groups on a “prohibited list,” effectively barring them from any role in the country’s future government.

Speaking in a televised interview with Al-Hadath, Hussein described the move as “a decisive shift” in Washington’s policy toward Baghdad, marking the strongest American effort yet to constrain the political influence of Iran-backed militias accused of undermining Iraqi sovereignty and destabilizing regional security.

“America has placed the names of six Iraqi armed groups on the ‘prohibited’ list, who cannot participate in the future Iraqi government,” Hussein confirmed.

He added that the U.S. decision aims to “ensure Iraq can establish successful diplomatic relations with the international community and conduct normal dealings with all countries.”

The announcement underscores Washington’s growing frustration with the entrenchment of pro-Iran factions within Iraq’s political and security institutions—a dynamic that has long complicated U.S.-Iraq relations.

It also injects new uncertainty into the post-election landscape, as several sanctioned groups maintain significant parliamentary representation and influence within the broader Shiite coalition.

With Iraq’s political destiny once again shaped by the interplay between domestic power struggles and foreign pressures, Sunday’s early voting underscored both the resilience and fragility of Iraq’s democracy—one where the ballot box remains as much a battleground as the streets it seeks to pacify.