Iraqi governorate elections, 2009

Iraqi governorate elections, 2009

← 2005 31 January 2009 2013 →
440 seats comprising 14 of the 18 governorates of Iraq
First party Second party Third party   Leader Nouri al-Maliki Abdul Aziz al-Hakim Muqtada al-Sadr Party State of Law Coalition Al-Mehraab Martyr List Independent Free Movement Last election 42 195 Seats won 126 52 43 Seat change 84 143 17 Popular vote 1,362,594 482,800 434,849 Percentage 19.1% 6.8% 6.1%   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   Leader Tariq Al-Hashimi Ayad Allawi Ibrahim al-Jaafari Party Tawafuq Iraqi National List National Reform Trend Last election 45 18 Seats won 32 26 23 Seat change 13 8 23 Popular vote 449,575 404,201 273,130 Percentage 6.3% 5.7% 3.8%
Colours show the largest list per governorate

Governorate or provincial elections were held in Iraq on 31 January 2009, to replace the local councils in fourteen of the eighteen governorates of Iraq that were elected in the Iraqi governorate elections of 2005. 14,431 candidates - including 3,912 women - contested 440 seats. The candidates came from over 400 parties - 75% of which were newly formed.

In February 2008, the Iraqi Parliament passed a Provincial Powers Act by a majority of one, with many members of parliament not present at the proceedings. It included giving the Prime Minister the power to dismiss a governor of a province, a measure that would have left considerable power in the hands of the Shi'a dominated central government in Baghdad. The Act required a Provincial Elections Law to be passed within the next 90 days and for elections to be held no later than the beginning of October 2008.

The Presidency Council initially referred the law back, saying it did not comply with the constitutional rights of governorates. It was reported that vice President Adil Abdul-Mahdi, whose Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council party is strong in many southern Iraqi governorate councils, particularly objected. However, the Council reversed its position following protests from the Sadrist Movement, saying they would instead seek changes to the law before it came into force.

In July 2008 the Iraqi Election Commission proposed postponing the elections until December because delays in passing the election law had left too little time to prepare.

The Provincial Elections bill was eventually approved by the Council of Representatives on 22 July 2008 despite a walkout by members of the Kurdistani Alliance over a clause making Kirkuk Governorate council a power-sharing arrangement. The next day the Presidency Council of Iraq, consisting of President Jalal Talabani, who is Kurdish, Vice-President Adel Abdul Mahdi, a Shi'ite Arab, and Vice-President Tariq al-Hashimi, a Sunni Arab, unanimously agreed to reject the bill because of the Kirkuk clause, and send it back to the Council of Representatives to reconsider.