Election update: 2.5m less registered voters

IHEC has released an interim breakdown of voter participation by province, as of noon today.

The data shows an overall participation rate of 16.5%, with Kirkuk being the highest at 32%, and Baghdad Rasafa the lowest at 9%. Neither figures are surprising given the intense competition in Kirkuk between Kurdish, Sunni Arab and Turkomen communities over the provincial government, or the impact of the Sadrist boycott in Baghdad Rasafa, where Sadr City is located.