Iraqi security forces and displaced residents, including many Yazidis, voted early ahead of a parliamentary election that could decide whether Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani secures a second term. An estimated 1.3 million security personnel and about 26,000 displaced people were eligible to vote in the early round, with some 7,744 candidates running nationwide. Many Yazidis remain displaced because Sinjar’s homes and infrastructure are ruined and the area is contested by armed groups and rival authorities. In Baghdad, the turnout of soldiers and Popular Mobilization Forces members highlights the PMF’s contested role in Iraq’s future politics.
Security Forces and Displaced Yazidis Vote Early Ahead of Crucial Iraqi Parliamentary Election
Iraqi security forces and displaced residents, including many Yazidis, voted early ahead of a parliamentary election that could decide whether Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani secures a second term. An estimated 1.3 million security personnel and about 26,000 displaced people were eligible to vote in the early round, with some 7,744 candidates running nationwide. Many Yazidis remain displaced because Sinjar’s homes and infrastructure are ruined and the area is contested by armed groups and rival authorities. In Baghdad, the turnout of soldiers and Popular Mobilization Forces members highlights the PMF’s contested role in Iraq’s future politics.
22:41, 09.11.2025Politics
DOHUK, Iraq — Iraqi security forces and displaced residents living in camps, including members of the Yazidi minority, cast early ballots Sunday ahead of Tuesday’s parliamentary election that could determine whether Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani wins a second term.
Who voted and what’s at stake
An estimated 1.3 million members of the military and security services and roughly 26,000 displaced people were eligible to take part in the early round. Some 7,744 candidates are running nationwide, with many representing parties aligned along sectarian lines. The vote comes as Iraq balances relations with Tehran and Washington amid heightened regional tensions tied to Israel and Iran.
School turned into a polling station
Near Dohuk in the semi-autonomous Kurdish north, many Yazidis who fled their homes after Islamic State attacks more than a decade ago cast ballots at a displacement camp. A small local school repurposed as a polling place was nearly empty until mid-morning, when voters began arriving — some clutching battered ID cards, others helping elderly relatives inside. Classrooms were crowded with monitors representing rival parties and competing candidates.
An uncertain future for Sinjar’s Yazidis
During its campaign of terror, Islamic State militants swept through Sinjar in Nineveh province, killing and enslaving thousands of Yazidis. Since IS’s defeat, some Yazidis have cautiously returned, but many remain displaced: homes are in ruins, infrastructure is damaged and multiple armed groups control parts of the area. Political disputes between Baghdad and Kurdish authorities, which have long backed rival local administrations, have further hampered reconstruction efforts.
“Eleven years passed and the situation is the same,” said Khedhir Qassim, a displaced Yazidi from Sinjar who voted at the Dohuk camp. “We want them to support us and rebuild our areas that are ruined due to their political dispute.”
Other displaced voters, like Edris Zozani, said they supported the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP) because they believe strong party lists can better advocate for Yazidi needs in Baghdad than independent candidates.
Uniforms at the polls in Baghdad
In Baghdad, soldiers, police and members of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) — a coalition of mainly Shiite militias that fought Islamic State — also voted. Although the PMF was formally placed under the Iraqi military’s authority in 2016, it continues to operate with significant autonomy.
The PMF’s future and its relationship with the regular armed forces are expected to be contentious issues for the next parliament. Proposed legislation to formalize ties between the military and the PMF has drawn criticism from Washington, and several groups within the PMF are participating in the election through associated political parties.
Abdul-Zahra reported from Baghdad.