How they fared

Iraq’s general election has brought dozens of new candidates into parliament, while some long-serving players lost their seats. Here is a rundown of some of the main winners and losers from the May 12 poll, as the 329-seat parliament begins to take shape.

All eyes on Al Sadr

Firebrand cleric Moqtada Al Sadr’s Marching Towards Reform (Sairoon) bloc won a better-than-expected 54 seats, making it the biggest single player in the next parliament.

Still in the game

In second place, with 47 seats, is the pro-Iranian Conquest Alliance, which is made up of former fighters from mainly Shiite paramilitary units that battled Daesh. The Victory Alliance of Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi, who declared victory over Daesh in December, performed worse than expected, forced into third place with 42 seats.

Mixed fortunes for Al Maliki

Nobody got more votes than Nouri Al Maliki. With more than 100,000 votes, he got twice the number of ballots won by Al Abadi. But experts say this will not be enough for him to take back the reins of power, since his Rule of Law Alliance only managed 26 seats, compared to 92 last time.

Elected on a shoestring budget

The first session of the next parliament will be presided over by Mohammad Zeini, who, at 79 years old, becomes parliament Speaker, pending the selection of a new legislative president. The new entrant ran in Baghdad with the cheapest campaign in Iraq’s electoral history. Zeini’s campaign was entirely internet based and he won 7,300 votes, eclipsing the 4,000 secured by the outgoing speaker Salim Al Juburi.