Iraq holds its first parliamentary election since victory over IS
Iraq voted on Saturday in its first parliamentary election since declaring victory over the Islamic State group, with growing tensions between neighbouring Iran and the United States threatening a power struggle.
Turnout appeared weak as polling stations closed across the country after 11 hours of voting that took place under tight security given the ongoing threat posed by the militants.
There were no major incidents reported across the country, with the only flareup coming when, a local official said, shelling killed a policeman and wounded five others in eastern Iraq.
The poll comes with tensions surging between key powers Iran and the United States after Washington pulled out of a landmark 2015 nuclear deal, sparking fears of a destabilising power struggle in Iraq.
Roughly 24.5 million voters face a fragmented political landscape five months after IS was ousted, with the dominant Shiites split, the Kurds in disarray and Sunnis sidelined.
More than 15 blood-sodden years since the US-led ouster of Saddam Hussein, there is scepticism about a political system dominated by an elite seen as mired in corruption and sectarianism.
At a polling station in the Baghdad district of Karrada, 74-year-old voter Sami Wadi appealed for change “to save the country”.