Iraqis vote for new parliament at a crucial regional moment

Iraqis voted for a new parliament on Tuesday at a pivotal time for the country and the wider region, in an election that both Iran and the United States will be closely watching.

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Polling stations closed at 6:00 pm, with preliminary results expected within 24 hours of closing.

More than 21 million people were eligible to vote for the 329-seat parliament, but many may have boycotted the polls amid deep distrust in the country's political class.

The electoral commission has yet to announce the turnout.

More than 7,740 candidates, nearly a third of them women and only 75 independents, are standing under an electoral law that many believe favours larger parties.

Sunni parties are running separately, with the former speaker Mohammed Al Halbussi expected to do well.

In the autonomous Kurdistan region, the rivalry between the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan remains fierce.

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani, who hopes for a second term, is likely to score a significant win.

"These elections (re)affirm the principle of peaceful transfer of power under Iraq's new political system," said Sudani as he arrived at a Baghdad polling station, pushing his mother in a wheelchair as he cast his vote.

Sudani rose to power in 2022 with the backing of the Coordination Framework, a ruling alliance of Shiite parties and factions all linked to Iran.