Iraq began voting Saturday in its first parliamentary election since declaring victory over the Islamic State group.
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The country is hoping to shore up a fragile peace and rebuild.
Polling stations opened around the conflict-scarred nation under tight security as the jihadists still pose a major security threat despite a sharp fall in violence.
The ballot comes with tensions surging between key players Iran and the United States over the nuclear deal, sparking fears of a destabilising power struggle over Iraq.
Roughly 24.5 million voters face a fragmented political landscape five months after IS were ousted, with the dominant Shiites split, the Kurds in disarray and Sunnis sidelined.
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi - who took over as IS rampaged across Iraq in 2014 - is angling for a new term, claiming credit for defeating the jihadists and seeing off a Kurdish push for independence.
However, competition from within his Shiite community, the majority group dominating Iraqi politics, should divide the vote and spell lengthy horse-trading to form any government.
Overall, just under 7,000 candidates are standing and Iraq's complex system means no single bloc should get anything near a majority in the 329-seat parliament.
According to a senior security official some 900,000 police and soldiers are on high alert to protect the vote, with airports and borders shut for the day.
Polling stations are open until 6:00 pm local time and initial results are expected in three days.
