The Sadrist Bloc, led by Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, came first in early elections (see note 1) to the 329-member Council of Representatives. It won nearly double the number of seats compared to the National Progress Alliance (Taqadum) led by Speaker Mohammed Rican El-Halbousi. Only two other parties won more than 30 seats: the State of Law coalition, led by former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), led by former Kurdish Regional Government President Masoud Barzani. The Kurdistan Alliance, which comprises the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Change Movement (Gorran), won 17 seats. In all, 95 women were elected, up from 83 in the 2018 elections (see note 2).

The Coordination Framework (see note 3) rejected the initial results as fabricated”. The Framework’s supporters staged protests and sit-ins, demanding a complete manual recount of votes. The Independent High Election Commission (IHEC) finished a manual recount on 8 November. On 30 November, it announced the final results, confirming the Sadrist bloc’s lead. Meanwhile, on 8 November, Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi survived a drone attack on his home inside Baghdad's high-security Green Zone.

On 27 December, the Federal Supreme Court ratified the election results. On 9 January 2022, the newly elected legislature held its first session and re-elected Mr. El-Halbousi as its Speaker (see note 4). The Speaker subsequently set the date of the indirect presidential election for 7 February. However, most parliamentary factions boycotted the 7 February session, which was postponed indefinitely.

Note 1:
The early elections in 2021 followed political turmoil in the country. Elections were constitutionally due by 2022, but were moved to 2021 after protests that had begun in October 2019. Protesters demanded better public services, more jobs and an end to corruption. On 31 October 2019, President Barham Salih (PUK) promised electoral reforms, but protests continued. On 30 November 2019, Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi resigned. After two prime ministers-designate failed to form a new Cabinet, Mr. Mustafa al-Kadhimi was elected Prime Minister on 7 May 2020. On 31 July 2020, the new Prime Minister called early elections for 6 June 2021. However, the Independent High Election Commission (IHEC) requested more time to organize the polls. On 19 January 2021, the Government approved IHEC’s request and postponed the elections to 10 October. Some protesters called for an election boycott while others participated.

Note 2:
In accordance with Article 49 (4) of the Constitution, a quarter of the seats in the 329-member Council of Representatives (i.e., 83 seats) are reserved for women. The 2021 elections were held under the Single Non-Transferable Vote system (instead of list-based proportional representation) in accordance with the new electoral law adopted by Parliament on 24 December 2019. In 2021, 83 electoral constituencies were used, with one seat per constituency reserved for female candidates. As in previous elections, nine other seats were reserved for minority groups (five for Christians, and one each for the Fayli Kurds, Sabeans, Shabaks and Yizidis). The new electoral law also lowered the minimum eligibility age from 30 to 28.

Note 3:
The Coordination Framework is a coalition comprising Shia parties and blocs as well as some Iran-backed groups. They include the Fatah Alliance (or Al-Fatih, led by Mr. Hadi al-Amiri, which represents the paramilitary Popular Mobilization Forces) and the State of Law coalition.

Note 4:
During the first session, squabbles erupted between rival parties. The oldest MP Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, who was presiding at the session, was hospitalized over reported injuries and fainting. The session was then run by the second oldest MP, Khaled al-Darraji. The former Speaker Mohammed El-Halbousi (whose term had ended at the October 2021 elections) was re-elected as Speaker. However, some MPs argued that the parliamentary session was unconstitutional, and contested the election of the Speaker and his deputies.
On 13 January 2022, the Federal Supreme Court issued a decision to temporarily suspend the work of the Speaker and his two deputies. On 25 January, the Court rejected the petitions, thereby confirming the re-election of Mr. El-Halbousi as Speaker. Shortly after the Court’s ruling, the Speaker’s house in the western province of Anbar was attacked with four rockets. Two children were injured. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The Speaker’s Taqadum party subsequently joined Al-Siyada (Sovereignty), a coalition led by Mr. Khamis al-Khanjar of the Azm al Iraq Alliance (Azm). The coalition comprises 67 members and is the largest Sunni bloc in the new legislature.