In the midst of violence that killed at least 36 people, Iraqis held their third democratic election since since Saddam Hussein was ousted from power in the U.S. invasion of 2003. Millions cast votes.
Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission said voter turnout was estimated to be 50 percent or more in all but one of the 16 provinces for which statistics were available.
Ballots were being counted Sunday night, and final tallies not expected until March 18.
Diplomats have said Iraq is unlikely to be able to form a government for several months as no single voting bloc is likely to emerge dominant.
Abbas Hussein, his index finger coated in purple ink, signaling he had voted in Mansour, a Sunni district of Baghdad, told Agence France-Presse: "We don't care about the bombs. The people will vote."
No single political coalition is expected to win an outright majority in the 325-member parliament, but the coalition that wins a plurality will eventually form a government. It is expected to be a contentious affair in an unconventional democratic system that U.S. Central Command commander Gen. David H. Petraeus has dubbed "Iraqracy."
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