Intense sectarian party rivalry amid Iraqi parliamentary elections

As the first Iraqi parliamentary elections took off in the country on Saturday morning, the first since the country’s defeat over ISIS, preliminary analysis suggest intense rivalry among sectarian parties.

In the northern part of the capital, the Shiites will be competing in the neighborhoods of Sadr City, Husseiniya and al-Shaab. East of the capital, they will be competing in al-Baladiyat, al-Obeidi, New Baghdad and al-Zafaraniya. In the south, competition takes place in al-Bayaa, al-Elam, al-Shorta, Abu Dshir, and in the west is Kadhimiya, Hurriyya, al-Shula, al-Ataifiya and al-Washash.

The Sunni competition is concentrated in the neighborhoods of Ghazaliya, al-Adl, al-Jamia, al-Khadra, al-Mansour, al-Yarmouk, Amriya and Al-Jihad, west of the capital, Adhamiya, And seven of Abkar, north of Baghdad, Sidiya and Doura south of the capital, as well as the Baghdad belt, which includes the areas of Taji, Tarmiyah, Rashidiya, Madain, Abu Ghraib and Mahmudiyah.

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