BAGHDAD, Feb 1: Just over half of Iraq’s voters turned out for provincial elections that were hailed as a political milestone for the future of the war-torn nation, officials said on Sunday.

The 51 per cent turnout, however, was lower than expected, a result likely to disappoint Iraqi and US leaders who saw Saturday’s vote as a key test for a nation trying to shore up security and democracy six years after the US-led invasion.

“Turnout reached 51 per cent at the national level,” Iraqi election commission chief Faraj al-Haydari told a press briefing, saying 7.5 million of the 15 million electorate cast ballots in 14 of 18 provinces.

Early unofficial indicators had suggested a turnout of around 60 per cent, with a tight security clampdown in place across the country that successfully prevented any major militant attacks.

The final figure was lower than the 55.7 per cent seen in elections four years ago, the Iraqi High Electoral Commission said.

But there was a relatively high participation among Sunni Arabs, in stark contrast to 2005 when they boycotted the ballot en masse, infuriated by the invasion that ousted now executed dictator Saddam Hussein.

“We were expecting this turnout, because Iraq is now in a normal situation,” government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said, adding that the figure was in line with international levels for local polls.

But the turnout was far below the level of 70-80 per cent that the premier said he was hoping for.

Nevertheless, Shia candidates appeared to have posted gains in the 11 Shia-majority provinces in a vote seen as a barometer of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s leadership almost three years after he took office.“The Iraqis are seeking security and national unity and that is exactly the themes promoted by Nuri al-Maliki,” Dabbagh said.

The moderate turnout also appeared to reflect disillusionment with local governments, which have systematically failed to provide voters with such basic services as clean water, electricity and rubbish collection.

Councils each appoint a governor and oversee finance and reconstruction, with a combined budget of $2.4 billion.

“We thought that the parties which came after the former regime could radically change things in terms of construction, reconstruction, services such as electricity or employment, but there is no change,” Ali Jassim, a trader in the city of Karbala, said.—AFP