IRAQIS headed to the polls today to vote in a parliamentary election marked by tight security and a boycott by a major political bloc.

A total of 8,703 polling stations were open across the country for the general election. Members of the security forces and displaced people living in camps cast their ballots in early voting on Sunday.

Only 21.4 million out of a total of 32 million eligible voters updated their information and obtained voter cards ahead of the polling, a decrease from the last parliamentary election in 2021, when about 24 million voters registered.

The popular Sadrist Movement, led by influential Shi’ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, is boycotting the polls. Mr Sadr’s bloc won the largest number of seats in the 2021 election but later withdrew after failed negotiations over forming a government, amid a standoff with rival Shi’ite parties.

Polling stations were open but were almost completely empty.

At one, which serves 3,300 voters, station director Ahmed al-Mousawi said: “In previous elections, there used to be long lines from the early morning hours, but today the difference is dramatic.”