Counting is underway in Iraq's Parliamentary elections, with preliminary results expected in several days, as counting the poll's complicated ballot is expected to take time.
Faraj al-Haidari, head of the country's Election Commission, said Monday the vote's preliminary results would be released most likely on Thursday.
Iraq will have to wait until month-end to hear the final official announcement of results, reports say.
Voter percentage in Sunday's polling has not yet been officially released, but many observers estimated the turnout at between 50 and 60 per cent.
Around 19 million of the 28 million Iraqis were eligible to vote. As many as 6,200 candidates were vying for a place in the 325-member Parliament.
An all-night curfew imposed in the country was lifted after about 36 people were killed in mortar and bomb attacks Sunday.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's State of Law Coalition is widely expected to win most of the seats, but reports say it may not be able to win a majority to form a government, which will lead to months of negotiations on a coalition Cabinet.
Meanwhile, the NATO praised Iraqi voters for taking part in the elections in significant numbers braving the wave of violent attacks.
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen termed the elections as "yet another crucial achievement for the development of a full democratic Iraq."
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June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.