Interim results of Iraq vote: Muqtaqa al-Sadr leading

Partial count of votes announced late on Sunday by the Iraqi electoral commission revealed an unexpected interim result - the political coalition of influential Shia religious leader Muqtada al-Sadr took an early lead in Iraq's national elections. His bloc Al-Sairun (Alliance of Revolutionaries for Reforms) is so far in the lead of the other two alliances –Hadi al-Amiri's Fatah Alliance and Prime Minister Abadi's Nasr (Victory) Alliance, Al Jazeera reported on May 14.

Noteworthy that Abadi’s Victory Alliance was believed to be the favorite of elections, but it has appeared to be on the third place in partial count of votes on May 12.

Final voting outcome will be announced on Monday in the evening.

Voter turnout proved very low since Saddam Hussein’s overthrow in 2003. Only 44.5% of eligible voters participated in the voting. Previously, voter turnover in post-Saddam Iraq was above 60%.

Local observers explain low turnout with high security measures on voting day, “apathy of voters” towards domestic political fight and many errors of e-voting system that is used in the country for the first time.

Split-up political forces of Shiites and Iraqi Sunnites will most probably result in establishment of “government of national unity,” as no force will be able to form government independently.

Ongoing election campaign is as never disintegrated. Earlier Shiite and Sunnite poles of Iraq used to come out from consolidated positions during elections, whereas now domestic political field is fragmented dramatically. Shiite forces of Iraq are represented by five separate political blocs, Sunnites – by two ones.

To recall, Iraqis are electing a new 329-seat Council of Representatives (parliament). 6,990 candidates representing 87 parties and blocs are running for the parliament. 25 percent or 83 of parliamentarians shall be female, 9 – representatives of ethnic minorities and confessions (including 5 Christians).