On Sunday morning, the early legislative elections began in Iraq, as voters began heading to the polling stations to cast their votes. 

Polling stations opened their doors to about 25 million eligible voters entitled to vote in more than 8,270 centers in all Iraqi provinces, according to the Independent High Electoral Commission announced.

More than 3,200 individuals are running for 329 seats in the parliament, while 25% of the seats are reserved for women.

The Parliamentary elections in #Iraq take place tomorrow, here's all you need to know about the elections and the new electoral law.#Iraqelection2021 pic.twitter.com/VMDPNFSOEJ

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 9, 2021

The elections are being held under international supervision, and are the first under the new electoral law, as 1249 international observers will monitor the voting process.

Supreme Security Committee announced the closure of airports and land ports Saturday evening in order to secure the electoral process.

The main checkpoints between the Iraqi governorates were closed around midnight, but the committee confirmed that there are no permanent curfews in cities. 

The new electoral law divided the country into 83 electoral districts, where each district elects between 3 to 5 representatives according to its population. 

On Saturday, President Barham Salih said that the elections "are one of the most important electoral processes in the modern history of Iraq, and they come at a delicate circumstance and a defining national moment.”

This is Iraq's fifth electoral experiment since 2005.