The Republic of Iraq will hold elections for its Council of Representatives (Majlis an-Nuwwab al-`Iraqiyy) on April 30. 328 members will be elected to the Council of Representatives to serve 4-year terms who will in turn elect the Iraqi President and Prime Minister.
The largest parties that will contest the elections are Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s State of Law Coalition, the Sadrist Movement (Ahrar), the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Iraqi National Accord.
Nouri al-Maliki is contesting for a third term. His image has been dented by the increasing violence between Shia and Sunni factions and a battered economy.