A Reading on the Iraqi National Assembly Election Results: National and Regional Implications

On Monday 19, the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) announced that 62% of the 22 million eligible voters had cast ballots. The results showed that the State of Law, headed by Prime Minister Nouri Maliki, was in the lead in 10 of the 18 provinces, with a combined total of 95 seats, followed by Muwatin of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI) with 29, Ahrar Group of the cleric Muqtada al-Sadr with 32, Kurds with 62, the Mutahidoun Group of the Sunni Arabs led by Usama al-Nujaifi with 23, and Arabiyah list of the Iraqi vice president Dr. Salah Mutlaq with 10. The rest of the seats went to smaller regional parties and minorities.