Iraq headed to elections for the initial elections billed as concessions on anti-government protests but a person is expected to be boycotted by many voters who do not believe the official promises of reform.
Polls opened at 7am (04:00 GMT) on Sundays but some voters emerged earlier at a polling station in a school at the center of the capital of Iraq, Baghdad.
“I came to choose to change the country to be better, and to change the current leaders who are incompetent,” said Jimand Khalil, 37, which is the first one to vote. “They made many promises to us but didn’t bring us anything.”
Strict security in the capital, with voters looking twice at the entrance to the voting station.
The airport has been closed to dawn on Monday crossing Iraq, where despite the declaration of the government’s victory over the ISIL (ISIS) group at the end of 2017, sleep cells continued to post attacks.
“Iraq must have the confidence to choose as they like, in a free environment from pressure, intimidation and threats,” the UN mission in Iraq said ahead of voting.
Polling remains open until 6 pm, with the initial results it is expected within 24 hours after closing. Dozens of election observers were deployed by the European Union and the United Nations monitored voting.
Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi threw his ballot at the beginning of the Baghdad green zone.
“This is an opportunity to change,” he said.
“Get out and choose, change your reality, for Iraq and for your future,” he urges al-Kadhimi, who is the future of his politics hangs in balance, with some observers who want to predict who will come out after the bargain of the long back room usually follows Iraqi selection.
Analysts have predicted low recording selection for polls, held a year earlier in a rare concession for the movement of protests led by young people. The 2018 election saw only 44 percent of voters who met the requirements to throw their ballots, recorded low, and the results were contested.
Dozens of anti-government activists have been killed, kidnapped, or intimidated over the past two years, on charges of pro-Iranian armed groups, many of whom are represented in parliament, have been behind violence.
Reporting from Baghdad, Mahmoud Al Jazeera Abdelwahed said expectations from low mining are widely based on disappointment among people, especially young people.
“Most of the disappointment was those who rose against corruption and mismanagement in 2019 in what was known as the Tishreen Revolution [October],” he said.
Tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in October 2019 to express their anger in corruption, unemployment and public services that collapsed, and hundreds of their loss of losing in violence related to protest.
Protests were largely tempted because anger had provided a way to disappoint.
“Nothing has changed. This election will be won by the same faction so that people protest,” said 45-year-old Baghdad Day Labor Mohammed Kassem, who did not intend to choose.
Music chair
At least 167 parties and more than 3,200 candidates compete for 329 Iraq seats in parliament, according to the State Election Commission.
Iraqi selection is often followed by months of negotiations protracted against a president, Prime Minister and Cabinet.
The new single member constituency system to choose Iraqi politicians should weaken the strength of traditional blocks that are mostly based on religious, ethnic and clan affiliates.
But most analysts believe it will make the political process even irresponsible.
Officials said new voting laws, also responses to protesters’ demands would help independent candidates, pro-reform, but it would depend on the number of voters.
Many Iraqi people say they will boycott the sound. They viewed a democratic system delivered after the 2003 US LED invasion as a disability and only serves political parties that have dominated the state since.
