Iraqis hold little hope for change as polls close

Baghdad [Iraq], November 12: Polls have closed in Iraq for parliamentary elections marked by apathy and scepticism despite close geopolitical attention.
Polling started across the country at 7am (04:00 GMT) and ended at 6pm (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, in a vote that has been closely watched in Iran and the United States. Preliminary results are expected within 24 hours.
It is the sixth election held in the now relatively stable country since the US-led invasion toppled longtime ruler Saddam Hussein in 2003.
However, many Iraqis have lost hope that elections can bring meaningful change to their daily lives, feeling that the vote benefits only political elites and regional powers.
Nearly 21 million Iraqis are eligible to vote across 4,501 polling stations nationwide, reported the Iraqi News Agency (INA). More than 7,750 candidates, nearly a third of them women, are running for 329 seats in parliament. Under the law, 25 percent of seats are reserved for women, while nine are allocated for religious minorities.
In an electoral system that many believe favours larger parties, just 75 independent candidates are standing.
Observers fear that turnout might dip below the record low of 41 percent in 2021, reflecting voter disillusionment in a country beset by entrenched leadership, and allegations of mismanagement and endemic corruption.
"There are expectations that the turnout wasn't high," Al Jazeera's Ali Hashem reported from the Iraqi capital Baghdad shortly after polling stations closed.
Hashem said this was down to public apathy as well as the influential Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr's call for his supporters to boycott the vote.
Source: Qatar Tribune