Storyline: Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani's coalition has emerged as the frontrunner in the country's parliamentary elections, preliminary results announced by Iraq's electoral commission showed on Wednesday. The results showed that al-Sudani's Reconstruction and Development Coalition came first in eight provinces, namely Baghdad, Qadisiyah, Najaf, Karbala, Muthanna, Maysan, Dhi Qar, and Babil. In a speech made late Wednesday, al-Sudani called for "respect for the will of the voters." He said "the next phase aims to formulate a new government capable of representing its programs," adding that his coalition is "open to all parties without exception." Former prime minister Nuri al-Maliki, who heads the State of Law Coalition, finished among the top winners in ten provinces but failed to place first in any of them, while Mohammed al-Halbousi, the former Sunni parliament speaker and head of the Taqaddum (Progress) Alliance, came first in the Sunni-majority provinces of Anbar and Salahuddin, and came second winner in Baghdad, Nineveh, Kirkuk, and Diyala. In Iraq's Kurdistan region, the Kurdistan Democratic Party, led by Masoud Barzani, swept the Kurdish provinces of Erbil and Duhok, while also emerging as the frontrunner in the mixed Nineveh province. Meanwhile, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan took the lead in Sulaymaniyah and Kirkuk. Earlier in the day, the electoral commission announced a voter turnout of 56.11 percent in the early and general polls. It reported that 12,009,453 voters cast ballots out of 21,404,291 registered eligible voters. Under the Iraqi constitution, the bloc holding the majority of seats in parliament has the right to nominate the prime minister and form a government, but this "largest bloc" may consist of a new coalition of parties formed after the election results are announced. Shotlist: FILE: Baghdad, Iraq - Feb 3, 2024: 1. National flag of Iraq 2. Various of traffic Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq - Nov 11, 2025: 3. Various of voters at polling station FILE: Baghdad, Iraq - Dec 8, 2023: 4. Various of street scene near Liberation Square FILE: Baghdad, Iraq - March 16, 2024: 5. Various of statue; traffic [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]