The first election since the non-binding Kurdish independence referendum (September 2017) and the country’s declaration of victory over Islamic State (December 2017) returned a fragmented parliament. Cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's Saeroun lil-Islah (Marching for Reform) coalition (comprising the Sadrist movement and the Iraqi Communist Party) remained the largest bloc with 54 seats in the 329-member Council of Representatives of Iraq of Republic (see note 1)., The coalition campaigneding on an anti-corruption ticket and opposed foreign interference in Iraq. A lengthy manual recount, completed on 9 August (see note 2), did not change the overall results. The Al-Fatih (Conquest) cCoalition (see note 3), led by Mr. Hadi al-Amiri, remained the second largest force with 48 seats. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s Al-Nasr (Victory) aAlliance took 42, while the State of Law coalition , led by former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, garnered 25 seats, tied with as did the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Mr. Nechervan Barzani.

After lengthy coalition talks, on 2 October, the Council of Republic Representatives elected Mr. Barham Salih of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) as the country’s new President. He appointed Mr. Adil Abd Al-Mahdi (independent , Shia ) as the new Prime Minister . His premisership was backed by the major Shia blocks: Mr. Sadr’s SaerounSairoon coalition, former Prime Minister al-Abadi’s Nasr alliance (Victory) as well as the Al-Fatih (Conquest) Coalition. Anbar Governor Mohammad El-Halbosi, backed by the National Axis Aalliance (see note 4), became the Speaker.

Note 1:
The statutory number of members has increased from 328 to 329 due to an additional minority seat in Wasit.

Note 2:
The election commission invalidated the results of over 1,000 polling stations. On 6 June, the outgoing Council of Representatives adopted a resolution, requesting for a vote recount of the May elections. The election commission contested the parliamentary decision. However, the Supreme Court ordered a partial manual recount. On 10 June, a warehouse storing ballot boxes in Baghdad caught on fire. The vote recount nevertheless went ahead. On 19 August, the Federal Supreme Court ratified the final results of the recent parliamentary election, paving the way for the newly elected legislature to be convened on 3 September.

Note 3:
The Al-Fatih (Conquest) Ccoalition is allied with the Shia militia group, Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMS) . The PMF group fought alongside security forces against the so-called Islamic State (IS).

Note 4:
The National Axis Aalliance includes the Al-Qarar Al-Iraqi Ccoalition (the Iraqi Decision) led by Vice President Osama al-Nujaifi and his brother Atheel , Vice President Ayad Allawi’s Al Wataniya, and former Speaker Saleem al-Jabouri.