Iraqis voted in their first parliamentary elections on May 12, 2018, since the government defeated the jihadist Islamic State (IS) in 2017. According to BBC, 7,000 candidates from rival alliances are vying for seats in the 329-member assembly. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi called on "all Iraqis" to take part in the elections and cast his ballot in Bagdad. The competing coalitions are predominantly Shia or Sunni, though the Kurds have their own lists. Although the Shia-led