Iraq 's parliamentary elections see over 7,000 candidates competing for 329 seats. Shia factions, militias, clerics, Sunnis and Kurds vie for influence amid deep internal divisions. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani seeks a second term but faces fractured Shia politics. Key figures, such as Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, are boycotting the vote. US and Iranian influence persists, while voter turnout is expected to be low due to frustration over corruption and poor services.