Voting has begun in Iraq's first parliamentary election since declaring victory over Daesh, with the country hoping to shore up a fragile peace and rebuild. Polls opened across Iraq on Saturday in the first national election since the declaration of victory over Daesh. No clear front-runner has emerged after weeks of official campaigning as Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi faces stiff competition from political parties with closer ties to Iran.

The vote — the fourth since the 2003 US-led overthrow of Saddam Hussein — will be conducted electronically for the first time to reduce fraud. Polling centers have been set up for many of the country's 2 million people who remain displaced by the war against IS.
While the conventional war against the militant group has concluded and Baghdad is experiencing a relative lull in insurgent-style attacks, Iraqi security forces have imposed tight security measures ahead of Saturday's vote with a curfew in place in the capital.

However, many Iraqis who turned up early to vote Saturday morning expressed cautious hope for the future.

Al-Abadi took office just weeks after Daesh fighters overran nearly a third of Iraq's territory in the summer of 2014 and has since overseen the grueling military defeat of the group with close support from the US-led coalition and Iran.
Despite al-Abadi's military achievements, Iraq continues to struggle with an economic downturn sparked in part by a drop in global oil prices, entrenched corruption and years of political gridlock.