Iraq is a constitutional and representative parliamentary republic. Its most recent parliamentary elections were held in October 2021 and were generally considered technically sound and credible. The election was assessed by both domestic and international observers, including the European Union, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq and a number of domestic civil society organisations. Both domestic and international elections observers cited procedural and transparency improvements when compared with the 2018 electoral process. Despite these assessments, public faith in Iraq’s electoral system has steadily declined in recent years. Voter turnout for the country’s 2021 parliamentary elections stood at 43.3 percent – just over half the number who voted in 2005. The present section will include in-depth articles and policy papers that discuss elections, voting mechanisms and voter turnout in Iraq.
