Twenty-four million Iraqis are eligible to vote. Many of them are young first-time voters. More than 3 million Iraqis have turned 18 since the last elections, according to election analysts, and they're eligible to vote for the first time.
But almost a million eligible voters are still displaced internally, and it's unclear how many will be able to cast their ballots. Officials are expecting a high turnout for these parliamentary elections.
Almost 7,000 candidates — including a former prime minister, a paramilitary leader and more women than ever before — running for 329 seats throughout Iraq's 19 provinces. The election features the biggest number of parties and coalitions since 2003.
Voters will select party lists and seats will be divided up according to the number of votes each list secures.
Polling for Iraq's roughly one million security force personnel and the one million voters living abroad was held ahead of the main election day.
The 329 members elected to the Council of Representatives today, will choose the country’s next prime minister and president, as well as setting the legislative tone for the next four years.
This is the first election since the defeat of ISIS (also known as Daesh ) terrorists last year. At its height, ISIS (or Daesh) controlled one-third of Iraqi territory. Now it controls less than 2 percent.
In an attempt to keep movement to a minimum, airports, ports and border crossings will be closed for 24 hours from midnight on Friday, and polling stations will be heavily guarded by the army.
Despite threats of violence, 83% of those polled in an April opinion survey said they intended to vote.
