The story: After a highly contentious evening session that continued until dawn, Iraq’s parliament has approved electoral reforms. Key changes that were adopted following the eruption of opposition protests in Oct. 2019 have effectively been reversed. Governorate polls are also set to be held later this year, for the first time in a decade.

The revised electoral law favors established parties over independents and newcomers, and comes despite objections from Iraq’s supreme Shiite religious authority and the Sadrist Movement. As such, there are now concerns that a new wave of unrest could emerge.

The coverage: The electoral reforms were proposed by the State Administration Coalition, which controls 275 out of the 329 seats in Iraq’s parliament. The coalition brings together the Shiite Coordination Framework, the Sunni Sovereignty Alliance as well as the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the...