Voter apathy and concerns about violence mark Iraqi’s first provincial elections in a decade

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqis began voting for the first time in a decade Saturday to select new provincial council members, who in turn will appoint governors, with the outcome seen as a bellwether for the parliamentary elections due to take place in 2025.

Saturday’s vote was restricted to military and security personnel and internally displaced people living in camps, with the main polling set to take place on Monday. Results are expected to be announced Tuesday.

Concerns were raised about a low voter turnout and potential violence spreading in the long-awaited polls taking place in the country’s 18 provinces.

The powerful Shiite cleric and political leader Muqtada al-Sadr — who officially resigned from politics in 2022 amid a lengthy deadlock over cabinet formation — has called on his supporters to boycott the provincial elections, saying that their participation would reinforce the dominance of a corrupt political class.

A widespread boycott would “reduce the legitimacy of the elections internationally and internally,” Sadr said in a statement.

In some areas, Sadr’s supporters ripped down electoral posters while several political campaign offices were vandalized. In the southern city of Najaf — a bastion of Sadr support — thousands marched on Thursday to urge a boycott of the elections.

Activists who staged mass anti-government protests in 2019 and are opposed to all the ruling parties also widely vowed to sit the polls out.

Apart from those actively boycotting the elections, many are simply apathetic.

Sajad Jiyad, an Iraqi political analyst and fellow at the non-partisan think tank, The Century Foundation, pointed out that millions of eligible voters are not even registered, and low turnout has been a trend since 2005.

“All signs point to apathy among the general population,” he said. “Young people in particular are not engaged with politics, and no party has captured their imagination.”

Aqeel Al-Rubaie, a perfume shop owner in Baghdad, said he and his family are sitting the polls out. He said he saw “no real electoral program” and widespread corruption in the political campaigns, with some candidates offering bribes to prospective voters.

“What did the Iraqis gain from the previous elections that would make me think I can benefit from this election?” he said. “Corruption and weapons are still rampant in the country. Unemployment and services are not available.”

In some areas, the elections could inflame existing political and sectarian tensions. Among them is the Kirkuk province, with a mixed population of Sunnis, Shia, Kurds and Turkmen, which has been the scene of a territorial dispute for years between the central government in Baghdad and that of the semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region with its capital in Irbil.

Demonstrations in Kirkuk over the handover of a key facility from federal to local Kurdish authorities turned violent in September, killing one protester and injuring others.

A controversial election law passed in March that increased the size of electoral districts was seen as undermining the chances for smaller parties and independent candidates to win seats.

The law was backed by the Coordination Framework, a coalition of Iran-backed, mainly Shiite parties that is the main rival of Sadr’s bloc. With Sadr’s followers boycotting, the Coordination Framework is likely to be the main beneficiary of the provincial elections.