Voting for Parliamentary elections begins in Iraq

Baghdad, May 12 (IANS) Voting for the Parliamentary elections in Iraq began on Saturday amid tight security, including aerial surveillance. This is the first Parliamentary elections since the defeat of the Islamic State (IS) terror group.

A total of 7,367 candidates from 320 political parties are contesting in 329 seats, Efe news reported.

Around 24 million citizens are eligible to vote. The voting began at 7 a.m. and will continue till 6 p.m.

Apart from air surveillance, large contingents of security forces were deployed to guard polling booths and their entrances.

The army, police forces, prisoners, hospital patients and Iraqi citizens abroad had already voted on Thursday.

Results are expected to be announced within 24 hours after the voting ends.

On April 22, IS spokesperson Abu Hassan Al-Muhajir had threatened to attack the elections.

In a message on messaging app Telegram, Al-Muhajir had warned of attacks on the "Shia government in Iraq", and polling stations with voters and election officials.