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Iraqis Vote in Election They Expect to Bring Little Reform
Election workers at a polling station, after the polls are closed for the parliamentary election, in Sulaimaniya, Iraq, Nov. 11, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ari Jalal
Iraqis voted in parliamentary elections on Tuesday in which Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani was seeking a second term but many disillusioned young voters saw it as a vehicle for established parties to divide up Iraq’s oil wealth.
Turnout in Iraq’s sixth parliamentary election since the US-led invasion of 2003 reached just over 23 percent as of midday, the state election commission said, and polling closed at 6 pm (1500 GMT).
Preliminary results were due to be announced during the next 48 hours, with the final outcome expected next week, commission officials said.
Sudani’s bloc was forecast to win the most seats but fall short of a majority, potentially meaning months of post-election talks among Shi’ite and Sunni Muslim as well as Kurdish parties to divvy up government posts and pick a prime minister.
“These elections [re]affirm the principle of peaceful transfer of power under Iraq’s new political system,” said Sudani as he arrived at a Baghdad polling station, pushing his mother in a wheelchair as he cast his vote.
Elections in Iraq are increasingly marked by low turnout. Many voters have lost faith in a system that has failed to break a pattern of state capture by powerful parties with armed loyalists, while ordinary Iraqis complain of endemic corruption, poor services, and unemployment.
Turnout is projected by analysts and pollsters to slip below the record low of 41 percent recorded in 2021, due partly to general disaffection and a boycott by populist Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who counts hundreds of thousands of voters among his core support base.
DISILLUSIONMENT WITH THE POLITICAL SYSTEM
The vote this year featured a raft of young candidates hoping to break into politics, but their chances against old patronage networks were uncertain.
“This election will not depend on popularity. It will depend on spending money,” former prime minister Haider al-Abadi said during a televised interview last month.
“I will not vote for corrupt politicians or militia leaders because I don’t want to be complicit in their crimes over the next four years,” said Salih Abdul Hassan, a 64-year-old lawyer from the southern oil city of Basra.
Analysts warn that low turnout could further erode confidence in a system critics say benefits the few while neglecting the many.
“For Iraq’s 21 million registered voters, Tuesday’s ballot may do little more than endorse a familiar political order,” said Baghdad-based political analyst Ahmed Younis.
“The results are not expected to make dramatic changes in the Iraqi political map.”
Still, the vote comes at a sensitive time for the country.
The next government will need to navigate the delicate balance between US and Iranian influence, and manage dozens of armed groups that are closer to Iran and answerable more to their own leaders than to the state, all while facing growing pressure from Washington to dismantle those militias.
PRESSURE TO DELIVER
Iraq has so far avoided the worst of the regional upheaval caused by the Gaza war, but will face US and Israeli wrath if it fails to contain militants aligned with Iran.
Those elected will also face domestic pressure to deliver tangible improvements in everyday life and prevent public discontent over corruption from escalating into unrest, as it did during mass demonstrations in 2019 and 2020.
Iraq began voting for its political leaders in 2005, after the 2003 US invasion which toppled autocrat Saddam Hussein.
Early elections were marred by sectarian violence and boycotted by Sunni Muslims as Saddam’s ouster allowed for the political dominance of the majority Shi’ites, whom he had suppressed during his long rule.
Sectarianism has largely subsided, especially among younger Iraqis, but remains embedded in a political system that shares out government posts among Shi’ites, Sunnis, Kurds, Christians, and other ethnic and religious groups.
Under Iraq’s sectarian power-sharing system, the prime minister will be Shi’ite, the speaker of parliament Sunni, and the president a Kurd.
Nonetheless, some Iraqis were keen to vote and are hopeful of change. In the capital Baghdad, retired teacher Majid Ibrahim said he arrived to vote an hour before polling stations opened.
“I came to vote for change toward a better future for Iraq. I am optimistic that what is coming will be better.”
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English Premier League’s Arsenal Hosts Over 100 Soccer Professionals to Discuss Tackling Antisemitism
Emirates Stadium, Arsenal’s home stadium. Photo: Nazmi Amin-Tai via Wikimedia Commons
The English Premier League powerhouse Arsenal hosted more than 100 professionals from across English soccer last week for a symposium on how to combat antisemitism in sports.
The event on Dec. 4 was attended by senior figures from soccer clubs, leagues, governing bodies, associations, and fan groups. They discussed antisemitism in British sports; the experiences of Jewish athletes, staff, and supporters; and how to develop new strategies for creating safer and more inclusive environments for the Jewish community.
As a result of the symposium, an industry toolkit was developed for clubs and governing bodies that will serve as a resource for how to include antisemitism awareness in equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) initiatives, improve communication and reporting strategies, and guarantee that Jewish fans and staff feel “safe, represented, and included.” Each delegate vowed to implement at least one action in their organization.
The symposium was coordinated in partnership with Maccabi GB and the British government’s independent adviser on antisemitism, John Mann. Maccabi GB is Britain’s leading charity dedicated to Anglo-Jewish sports, health, and wellbeing, according to its website. It aims to create inclusive sporting, community, and educational environments for the Jewish community.
“Bringing people together to learn, share experiences, and commit to practical action is how we create a better future for Jewish players, staff, and supporters,” Maccabi GB chief executive Ashley Lerner said at the symposium. “In partnership with Lord Mann’s office, we are determined to ensure that the conversations held today lead to meaningful change across the sporting world.”
“Sport has a unique ability to bring people together — but it can also expose the prejudices that exist in wider society,” said Mann. “That is why this partnership with Maccabi GB is so important. We are equipping clubs, leagues, and governing bodies with the knowledge and confidence they need to identify antisemitism early and tackle it decisively. The willingness of football leaders to engage so openly today is not just encouraging — it is essential. We now have the opportunity to ensure that the lessons of the past translate into meaningful, measurable change for the future.”
The symposium took place on the 90th anniversary of the England–Germany match at White Hart Lane in London in 1935, when the visiting German team performed the Nazi salute on the pitch. Stephanie Peacock, the British minister for sport, tourism, civil society, and youth, spoke at the event about the British government’s commitment to working with those in sports and the Jewish community to address antisemitism.
“Sport should always be a place of belonging, pride, and unity,” Peacock said. “Antisemitism has no place in football or in British society, and I welcome the leadership shown today by Maccabi GB and Lord Mann. The government is committed to supporting this work, ensuring that clubs and governing bodies have the capability, confidence, and frameworks to prevent discrimination and respond effectively when it occurs. Tackling antisemitism strengthens not only Jewish participation in sport, but the integrity and inclusivity of the game as a whole.”
Last week’s symposium was held as part of a larger project called Tackling Antisemitism in Sport, which was established in September 2023 as a partnership between Maccabi GB and Mann’s office. More than 4,000 soccer professionals have participated in the program’s workshops, including all 20 Premier League clubs.
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Israel to Reopen Jordan Border Crossing for Passage of Aid, Goods After Terror Attack
Israeli police officers stand next to their cars at the scene of a fatal shooting at the Allenby Crossing between the West Bank and Jordan, Sept. 18, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Oren Ben Hakoon
Israel is set to reopen the Allenby Crossing with Jordan to the passage of goods and aid on Wednesday, an Israeli security official said on Tuesday.
The border crossing has been closed to aid and goods since September, when a driver bringing humanitarian aid to Gaza opened fire and killed two Israeli military personnel before being killed by security forces.
The security official said the crossing would have tightened screening for Jordanian drivers and truck cargo, and that a dedicated security force had been assigned to the crossing.
The Allenby Bridge is a key route for trade between Jordan and Israel and the only gateway for more than 3 million Palestinians in the West Bank to reach Jordan.
The crossing reopened to passenger traffic shortly after the attack, but had remained closed to aid trucks. The UN says the crossing is a major route for bringing food, tents, and other goods into Gaza.
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US Imposes Sanctions on Network It Accuses of Fueling War in Sudan
A bronze seal for the Department of the Treasury is shown at the US Treasury building in Washington, US, Jan. 20, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
The US on Tuesday imposed sanctions on actors it accused of fueling the war in Sudan, taking aim at what it said was a transnational network that recruits former Colombian military personnel and trains soldiers, including children, to fight for the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
The US Treasury Department in a statement seen by Reuters said that it imposed sanctions on four individuals and four entities that were part of the network, which it said was largely comprised of Colombian nationals and companies.
The Treasury said that since at least 2024, hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have traveled to Sudan to fight alongside the RSF, which the US has accused of committing genocide.
The Colombians have provided the RSF with tactical and training expertise and served as infantry and artillerymen, drone pilots and instructors, among other roles, with some training children to fight for the paramilitary group, according to Treasury, which added that Colombian fighters have participated in battles across Sudan, including in the capital Khartoum and al-Fashir.
“The RSF has shown again and again that it is willing to target civilians — including infants and young children. Its brutality has deepened the conflict and destabilized the region, creating the conditions for terrorist groups to grow,” Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, John Hurley, said in the statement.
Among those targeted was Alvaro Andres Quijano Becerra, who the Treasury said was a dual Colombian-Italian national and a retired Colombian military officer based in the United Arab Emirates. It accused him of playing a central role in recruiting and deploying former Colombian military personnel to Sudan.
The UAE has been widely accused of arming the RSF, an accusation it has denied.
“The United States again calls on external actors to cease providing financial and military support to the belligerents,” Treasury said in the statement.
The conflict between the Sudanese army and the RSF erupted in April 2023 out of a power struggle and has triggered famine, ethnic killings, and mass displacement. In November, US President Donald Trump said he would intervene to stop the conflict.
The United States, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia – known as the Quad – earlier in November proposed a plan for a three-month truce followed by peace talks. The RSF responded by saying it had accepted the plan, but soon after attacked army territory with a barrage of drone strikes.