Turnout over 50% in Iraqi poll

Voter turnout in Iraq’s provincial election was 51 per cent, lower than the 55.7 per cent recorded in the country’s last ballot in 2005, the Independent High Electoral Commission said on Sunday.

"Turnout reached 51 per cent at the national level," commission chief Faraj al-Haydari told a press briefing. About 7.5 million of 15 million eligible voters went to the polls in 14 of 18 provinces on Saturday, he said.

In the 2005 parliamentary elections, turnout -- excluding the three Kurdish provinces -- was 49.8 per cent as minority Sunnis infuriated by the US-led invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein massively boycotted the poll.

This time Sunni provinces turned out to vote in force with Salaheddin, Saddam’s home province, recording the largest turnout at 65 per cent.

Nineveh, the country’s second largest province, saw 60 per cent of voters cast their ballots, while the figure in the former Sunni rebel bastion of Anbar was 40 per cent, according to the commission’s data.

The biggest turnout in a Shiite province was Muthanna with 61 per cent, but in oil-rich Basra 48 per cent took part. About 40 per cent of votes cast their ballot in Baghdad, although the official said the tally was not final.

More than 14,400 candidates stood for 440 seats in councils, which appoint the provincial governor and oversee finance and reconstruction, with a combined budget of $2.5bn.