Counting of Iraqi Election Votes Continues: Muqtada al-Sadr's List Leads

The ongoing counting of votes in Iraq's parliamentary elections indicates that the list of candidates supported by Muqtada al-Sadr, a Shia cleric, is in the lead, while the list of Iranian-backed militia commanders is in second place. Earlier, it was reported that the list of Haider al-Abadi, the current Prime Minister of Iraq, was ahead of the others. On Saturday, May 22, Iraqi citizens went to the polls for the first time after the defeat of the militants of the group known as the Islamic State (ISIS), and the final results of this election are expected to be announced on Tuesday. Counting from 10 out of 19 provinces in Iraq shows that the list supported by Muqtada al-Sadr has taken the lead, with the list supported by Hadi al-Amiri not far behind. Meanwhile, the list supported by Abadi is currently in third place. Al-Sadr, along with the Iraqi Communist Party, leads a coalition known as 'Sairoon' (implying 'those heading towards reform'). Hadi al-Amiri leads a coalition called 'Fatah Alliance'; Amiri is the commander of predominantly Shia militias that have fought against the Islamic State under the banner of 'Hashd al-Shaabi' in recent years. Haider al-Abadi leads the 'Victory Alliance'. The Iraqi Electoral Commission states that both al-Sadr's and al-Amiri's lists have won in four provinces out of the ten counted, but candidates supported by Muqtada al-Sadr have gained significantly more votes in Baghdad, which holds many seats in the Iraqi parliament. Despite the current results and changes that have occurred in recent hours, it is still impossible to make an accurate prediction about the status of seats in parliament, as results from all provinces have not yet been announced; for example, the vote distribution in Nineveh, the second province in terms of parliamentary seats, is still unclear. Muqtada al-Sadr once led the militia group 'Mahdi Army', which has a history of extensive clashes with the Iraqi army and American and British forces, and was said to have support from Iran. However, recently, Mr. Sadr has shown a tendency to distance himself from Iran.