BAGHDAD: Iraqis voted Monday in the first provincial council elections held in a decade, which were expected to strengthen the dominance of pro-Iranian Shiite Muslim groups.

The vote comes at a time of widespread political apathy and disillusionment in the oil-rich country of 43 million that is still recovering from years of war and plagued by corruption.

Turnout at noon had reached just 17 percent, said election commission official Omar Ahmed, who urged voters to come out and “contribute to the success of the electoral process”.

The vote is seen as a key test for Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani — who rose to power just over a year ago backed by pro-Tehran parties — ahead of a general election due in 2025. The provincial councils set up after the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein choose provincial governors and manage budgets for health, transport and education.