On 11 October, the Iraqi High Electoral Commission (IHEC) began announcing preliminary results for parliamentary elections held on Sunday, with the political movement of influential Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr currently in the lead.

However, the IHEC only announced preliminary results for the governorates of Diyala, Diwaniyah, Muthanna, Maysan, Wasit, Dohuk, Saladin, Karbala, Najaf and Erbil.

Officials later stated that full results should be available by 12 October.

Sunday’s ballots saw the lowest turnout since the US invasion of Iraq, with only 41% of eligible voters casting their vote.

According to the IHEC, this amounts to only 9,077,779 out of 22,116,328 eligible voters.

Preliminary results show the Sadr alliance ahead in most of the governorates, followed by the State of Law Coalition and the Fatah Alliance.

Meanwhile, various independent candidates have also gained a significant number of seats in parliament.

Under Iraqi law, the party that wins the most seats in parliament will decide who is the country’s next prime minister. However, experts believe it is unlikely that any of the competing coalitions can secure a clear majority.

This in turn will likely require lengthy negotiations to select a consensus prime minister and agree on a new coalition government.

Electoral observers and some government officials have also raised concerns about the possibility of post-election violence from groups who may feel left out with the results – some suggesting that local curfews could be imposed.