Iraq approaches its ninth general election since the 2003 regime change. Following five Council of Representatives sessions and three provincial council elections, the country now prepares for the sixth Council of Representatives election, scheduled for November 2025.

Political and security transformations, coupled with growing Iraqi civic awareness of the political system and electoral processes, have significantly impacted election outcomes and voter turnout. While major political blocs have maintained their popular bases, enabling them to secure decision-making positions within the Iraqi government, this has intensified political complexity and heightened competition among parties.

These elections have been marked by numerous security and political complications that have influenced both results and government formation, while escalating sectarian tensions among political forces. What follows is an analysis of the most significant outcomes and developments across eight election cycles, examining the evolving attitudes and behaviors of Iraqi voters.

First: 2005 Council of Representatives Elections

The inaugural post-occupation election in 2005 emerged from popular demand to participate in establishing a new political system. However, concerns about the system’s nature led some Sunni leaders to initially boycott the elections. After months of negotiations, several Sunni leaders reversed course and participated.

These elections exposed the characteristics of Iraq’s sectarian political division. Sectarian identity became the primary driver of voter participation. Shiites, after decades of marginalization, embraced the ballot box to reclaim their political rights, believing elections would enable Shiite political leaders to assume power. Kurds, motivated by national solidarity and seeking to strengthen Kurdish influence within the Iraqi government, overwhelmingly supported Kurdish parties, particularly the Kurdistan Region’s two dominant parties. Conversely, most Sunnis boycotted the elections, viewing them as an illegitimate American project.

The results reflected this sectarian divide. The United Iraqi Alliance, led by Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, achieved the largest electoral victory. This alliance comprised major Shiite parties: the Badr Organization (15 seats), Dawa Party (25 seats), Supreme Council of Islam (13 seats), Sadr Movement (28 seats), and Fadhila Party (15 seats). Combined with other parties and independents, the alliance secured 128 parliamentary seats according to official results, though some statistics suggest this later increased to 140 seats, representing 4.075 million votes.

The Kurdistan Alliance—encompassing the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, Islamic Society in Kurdistan, Turkmen Brotherhood Party, Kurdistan Workers Party, and several independents—won 53 seats, while the Islamic Union of Kurdistan secured 5 seats.

The Iraqi Accord Front, led by Adnan Mohammed Salman al-Dulaimi and including the Islamic Party, National Dialogue Council, and Conference of Iraqi People, won 44 seats.

Ayad Allawi’s Iraqi National List, comprising the National Accord Movement and independent Iraqi figures, secured 25 seats, while Saleh al-Mutlaq’s United Iraqi Front won 11 seats.

Second: 2009 Provincial Council Elections

Iraq conducted its first provincial council elections in 2009, excluding the Kurdistan Region provinces (Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, Duhok) and Kirkuk due to ongoing disputes.

These elections followed the devastating sectarian war of 2006-2007, which caused massive demographic shifts across multiple provinces, most notably Baghdad. The conflict claimed thousands of civilian lives over several months, profoundly affecting both participation rates and local government formation.

Results demonstrated the State of Law Alliance’s dominance under Nouri al-Maliki’s leadership, securing 126 seats nationwide (across 14 participating provinces) with 1.362 million votes. The Martyrs of the Mihrab List, led by Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, placed second with 52 seats and 482,000 votes. Muqtada al-Sadr’s movement won 43 seats with 434,000 votes, while Ayad Allawi’s Iraqi List secured 26 seats with 404,000 votes. Ibrahim al-Jaafari’s National Reform Movement obtained 23 seats with 273,000 votes.

Sunni forces collectively won 78 seats: Tariq al-Hashimi (23 seats), Saleh al-Mutlaq (19 seats), Atheel al-Nujaifi (19 seats), and Ahmed Abu Risha (8 seats), totaling 1.269 million votes.

The two main Kurdish parties (PUK and KDP) secured 20 seats with 353,000 votes, while 72 seats went to various other parties and forces, representing 2.562 million votes.

The 2009 elections fundamentally altered Iraq’s local political landscape, establishing Maliki’s alliance as the dominant force while diminishing Sunni influence and causing a proportional decline in Kurdish representation—clearly reflecting the power imbalances that emerged from years of sectarian violence.

Third: 2010 Council of Representatives Elections

The 2010 elections highlighted the strength of political alliances and their electoral impact. Following the sectarian voting patterns of 2005, Iraq’s largest electoral bloc shifted toward nationalism, represented by Ayad Allawi’s Iraqi List, which united candidates from diverse sectarian and religious backgrounds under a national unity banner.

This nationalist approach enabled the Iraqi List to win 91 seats (later reduced to 89 due to internal divisions). Meanwhile, the Dawa Party secured 21 of 89 seats within the State of Law Alliance framework established in 2009, while the National Alliance won 70 seats. Following the results announcement, the National Alliance formation was declared, incorporating the State of Law Alliance and other forces to total 159 seats.

Kurdish forces (KDP and PUK) joined under the “Kurdistan Alliance” banner, bringing total Kurdish representation in the Council of Representatives to 43 seats. The Change Movement won 8 seats, the Islamic Union of Kurdistan secured 4 seats, and minority components obtained 8 seats.

Fourth: 2013 Provincial Council Elections

The year 2013 marked one of Iraq’s most turbulent political periods. Escalating political events impacted the Iraqi street, triggering widespread popular protests demanding an end to corruption, protection of national sovereignty, improved services, and reduced unemployment. These demonstrations escalated into security crises when forces intervened to disperse protesters on Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s orders, resulting in hundreds of civilian casualties.

Despite security and political turmoil, provincial council elections proceeded as scheduled with over 7 million participants. Due to intense protests and armed suppression in Nineveh and Anbar provinces, elections were suspended there, as well as in the disputed Kirkuk province.

In participating provinces, the State of Law Alliance won 102 seats with 1.89 million votes. The Supreme Islamic Council secured 66 seats with 943,000 votes, the Sadr Movement won 60 seats with 653,000 votes, Atheel al-Nujaifi’s United Alliance for Reform obtained 35 seats with 518,000 votes, and Saleh al-Mutlaq’s Iraqi Front for National Dialogue secured 18 seats. The Kurdistan List won 17 seats, Ayad Allawi’s National Accord Movement gained 16 seats, and Adnan al-Zurfi’s Loyalty to Najaf List secured 9 seats, with the remaining 133 seats distributed among other parties.

Fifth: 2014 Council of Representatives Elections

This election cycle proved among the most challenging due to security developments that significantly impacted results and could have altered the ruling party composition, though inter-party alliances prevented such changes.

Several weeks after the 2014 elections and before government formation, the Iraqi army withdrew from three provinces following Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s decision. This withdrawal occurred after ISIS attacked Nineveh province, ultimately occupying Nineveh, Salahuddin, Anbar, and parts of Diyala province, displacing millions of civilians and killing thousands.

Thirty-five alliances and political parties secured parliamentary representation nationwide. Despite the State of Law Alliance winning 92 seats compared to the Sadr Movement’s 33 seats (under the Ahrar Alliance banner), the major security crisis removed Maliki from the premiership. The Citizens’ Alliance won 30 seats, the United Alliance for Reform secured 23 seats, and the National Alliance obtained 21 seats.

Kurdistan parties collectively won 64 seats: Kurdistan Democratic Party (27 seats), Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (21 seats), Change Movement (9 seats), Islamic Union (4 seats), and Islamic Society (3 seats), with remaining seats distributed among other parties.

Sixth: 2018 Council of Representatives Elections

Iraq’s fourth parliamentary election occurred under challenging circumstances as the Iraqi army completed operations against ISIS remnants, having defeated the organization in late 2017. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s leadership during this period enhanced his popular standing among voters.

Capitalizing on this popularity, Abadi established the Victory Alliance, which secured 42 parliamentary seats, ranking third among winning lists. The Sairoon Alliance, affiliated with the Sadr Movement, claimed first place with 54 seats, while Hadi al-Amiri’s Fatah Alliance secured second place with 47 seats.

The most significant impact affected the State of Law Alliance, which experienced a dramatic decline in voter support, falling to fifth place with only 25 seats, comparable to the Kurdistan Democratic Party’s 26 seats. The National List secured sixth place with 21 seats, followed by the National Wisdom Movement (19 seats), Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (18 seats), and the Decision Alliance (14 seats), with remaining seats distributed among other parties.

This election cycle saw 31 alliances and political parties achieve parliamentary representation nationwide. Kurdistan parties collectively secured 57 seats, with the Change Movement winning 5 seats, New Generation 4 seats, and the Alliance for Democracy and Justice, Islamic Union, and Islamic Society each obtaining 2 seats.

Seventh: 2021 Council of Representatives Elections

The early 2021 Council of Representatives elections, originally scheduled for 2022, were held in response to “October Revolution” demands that toppled Adel Abdul Mahdi’s government. The final results showed little difference from previous elections.

Following numerous obstacles and competition among defeated parties, several Shiite forces formed an alliance including the State of Law Alliance (38 seats) under Nouri al-Maliki, Hadi al-Amiri’s Fatah Alliance (17 seats), Falah Fayyad’s National Contract Alliance (4 seats), Ammar al-Hakim’s State Forces (4 seats), and various other bloc lists. This coalition, termed the Coordination Framework, totaled approximately 90 seats.

Conversely, the Sadr Movement Alliance achieved the highest parliamentary representation with 73 seats, joining with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (31 seats), Progress Alliance (37 seats), and Azm Alliance (14 seats). Including additional forces under the National Salvation Alliance umbrella, their combined representation reached 155 seats.

After the Coordination Framework blocked government formation, the Sadr Movement withdrew, leading to the resignation of Sadr representatives and leaving 73 seats vacant. The Framework secured 40 of these seats, while the Fatah Alliance increased to 26 seats, State Forces to 9 seats, and the National Contract to 8 seats. Additional seats went to the State of Law Alliance and other coalition members, bringing the total to 130 seats.

The Progress Alliance expanded to 39 seats, the Azm Alliance to 15 seats, and the Imtidad Movement to 9 seats.

According to Independent High Electoral Commission statistics, excluding 33 independent candidates, this election cycle saw 37 alliances and political parties achieve parliamentary representation nationwide. Kurdistan parties secured 63 seats total: Kurdistan Democratic Party (32 seats), Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (17 seats), New Generation (9 seats), Islamic Union (4 seats), and Islamic Society (1 seat).

Eighth: 2023 Provincial Council Elections

The 2023 elections marked the first provincial council elections in a decade, following parliament’s 2019 dissolution of provincial councils in response to October protests citing excessive corruption.

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani announced in late 2022 that provincial council elections would proceed based on a Federal Court decision requiring elections after election law amendments. Parliament subsequently amended and approved the election law, setting the election date.

Elections proceeded as scheduled with over 6 million voters participating across 15 provinces. Results showed the success of Hadi al-Amiri’s “We Are Building” Alliance, which secured 43 seats nationwide. Nouri al-Maliki’s State of Law Alliance won 35 seats, followed by the State Forces Alliance (23 seats), Mohammed al-Halbousi’s Progress Alliance (21 seats), Sovereignty Alliance (14 seats), Tasmeem Alliance (12 seats), Iraq’s Azm Alliance (10 seats), and National Resolve (8 seats). The Kurdistan Democratic Party secured 6 seats, with remaining seats distributed among other successful parties.

Ninth: Participation Levels and Trends in Iraq’s General Elections

Available data reveals a consistent decline in Iraqi voter participation across successive elections. The inaugural 2005 Council of Representatives election achieved 79% turnout, with 11.89 million of 15.5 million eligible voters participating.

By contrast, the most recent 2021 Council of Representatives election saw only 43.5% participation, with 9.6 million of 22.1 million eligible voters casting ballots.

Similarly, the 2009 provincial council elections recorded 48% turnout (7.14 million of approximately 14.6 million eligible voters), while the 2023 provincial council elections showed further decline to 41% (5.6 million of approximately 16.2 million eligible voters).

This downward trajectory in civic participation reflects growing disillusionment with Iraq’s political system and highlights the challenges facing democratic consolidation in post-2003 Iraq.