Early results show record low turnout in Iraq's election

Iraq's electoral committee says preliminary results show turnout from Sunday’s election was 41 percent

BAGHDAD -- Voter turnout in Iraq's elections was 41 percent, according to preliminary results announced Monday, a record low in the post-Saddam Hussein era, signaling widespread distrust of the country's leaders and the vote for a new parliament.

The weekend's election was held months ahead of schedule as a concession to a youth-led popular uprising against corruption and mismanagement. But the vote was marred by widespread apathy and a boycott by many of the same young activists who thronged the streets of Baghdad and Iraq’s southern provinces in late 2019, calling for sweeping reforms and new elections.

The Independent High Electoral Commission on Monday said preliminary results show turnout from Sunday’s election was 41 percent. That’s down from 44 percent in the 2018 elections, which was an all-time low.

Tens of thousands of people protested in late 2019 and early 2020, and were met by security forces firing live ammunition and tear gas. More than 600 people were killed and thousands injured within just a few months.