Coalition led by Iraqi PM Sudani comes first in Iraq’s election, two sources say

A coalition led by Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani came first in Iraq’s parliamentary election, two electoral commission officials with knowledge of the results told Reuters on Wednesday.

Sudani was seeking a second term in Tuesday’s election but many disillusioned young voters saw the vote simply as a vehicle for established parties to divide up Iraq’s oil wealth.

However Sudani tried to cast himself as the leader who could finally make Iraq a success after years of instability, arguing he had moved against established parties that brought him to power.

No party is able to form a government on its own in Iraq’s 329-member legislature, and so parties have to build alliances with other groups to become an administration, a fraught process that often takes many months.

The final total turnout in Iraq’s parliamentary election reached 56.11 percent, the electoral commission said earlier on Wednesday.