The first local council elections in a decade are expected to strengthen the influence of pro-Iranian groups.

For the first time in a decade, Iraqis are going to the polls to elect provincial councils, with thousands vying for seats in the powerful assemblies.

Ballots will be cast in 15 of Iraq’s 18 provinces on Monday. The elections are a prelude to a parliamentary vote in 2025 that will test the strength of pro-Iranian groups that have risen in profile in recent years.

A total of 285 candidates will be elected to the councils, whose duties include appointing regional governors and allocating budgets for health, transport and education. Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, which includes three provinces, will decide on its provincial councils next year.

Voter turnout as the “ultimate measure”

Monday’s vote is seen as a crucial test for the government of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, who came to power a year ago on the back of a parliamentary coalition of pro-Tehran parties.

Since taking office, al-Sudani has struggled to expand public services and infrastructure devastated by decades of conflict. He hopes for a high voter turnout, which would give his government a boost.

“Voter turnout is the ultimate measure of satisfaction,” said Renad Mansour, senior research fellow at Chatham House.

It remains to be seen, he said, “whether the economic populism of the Sudanese government – ​​the policy of giving in.” [public sector] Jobs – can be successful and conquer the young population.”

Voting began at 7 a.m. (04:00 GMT) on Monday amid tight security and was expected to continue until 6 p.m. (15:00 GMT).

Around 17 million of Iraq’s 43 million people are eligible to vote, and 6,000 candidates are in the running.

However, voter apathy is growing among a largely young population who feel they have not seen the benefits of Iraq’s vast oil wealth, much of which is misdirected or stolen, in a country that is among the most corrupt in the world World matters.

Hassan Qabas, a member of Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), told Al Jazeera that around 1,800 international observers had been invited to take part.

boycott

The vote is expected to consolidate the position of the ruling coordination framework coalition. The Iran-allied bloc includes Shiite Islamist parties with factions of Hashed al-Shaabi, a network of former paramilitary units integrated into the regular army.

But critics say the councils are certainly nests of corruption and encourage clientelism.

Influential Shiite scholar and political kingmaker Muqtada al-Sadr, whose rivals blocked his attempt to form a government after him emerged as the winner boycotted the 2021 parliamentary elections.

Manaf Almusawi, a member of his Sadrist movement, told Al Jazeera the boycott was aimed at “expressing rejection of government policies” and “depriving the government of its legitimacy”.

Iraq’s provincial councils were established after the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 that toppled Saddam Hussein.

The councils were initially abolished in late 2019 as a concession to massive anti-government protests, but al-Sudani’s government later reinstated them.

To reflect Iraq’s multi-confessional and multi-ethnic population, 10 seats are reserved for minorities, namely Christians, Yazidis and Sabeans. A quota of 25 percent also ensures that 1,600 candidates are female.