Polling stations closed doors on Saturday in Iraq’s provincial elections after being held open an extra hour for the heavy turnout during the last hours of the day.

Electoral workers tally votes at a polling station in Basra, 420 km (260 miles) southeast of Baghdad, Jan. 31, 2009.

Polls closed at 6:00 p.m. (1500 GMT) after 11 hours of casting ballots for several millions out of some 15 million Iraqis who were called to elect members of the provincial councils in 14 out of Iraq’s 18 provinces.

The voting was underway amid tight security measures, including dozens of checkpoints and traffic bans in Baghdad and other major cities and closure of border crossings and airports.

The voting stations across Iraq were heavily protected by barbed wires and rings of Iraqi security forces along with U.S. troops which kept presence in the country as contingent forces in areas away of polling stations.

Despite security measures, Iraqis’ turnout was described as enthusiastically especially at the late hours of the day after Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki ordered to lift some tight security restrictions.

The tight security measures hampered many Iraqis from reaching their polling stations, but at around 2:00 p.m. local time (1100 GMT), Maliki ordered immediate lift of vehicles ban to give chance for Iraqis who want to vote to reach the polling stations.

For its part, the High Electoral Commission of Iraq (IHEC) also gave an extra hour for the polling period to make a wider opportunity for voters to cast their ballots, as increasing numbers of them were pouring on polling stations at the end of the day.

Maliki, who cast his ballot in a voting center in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, said that “all the indicators refer to that the turnout to the ballot boxes is strong.”

Maliki, who hoped strong turnout in today’s elections said that “high level of turnout is an evidence that the Iraqi people trust their government and that they are now living in a real security.”

Iraq’s Sunni Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi said “today is historic because this election will create smaller governments in the provinces which will certainly decide the future of the provinces.”

“For this reason, I call on all Iraqis to vote in large numbers to participate in changing the current situation to better one,” Hashimi said after voting early in the day in the Green Zone.

With no security incident in Baghdad, many Iraqis expressed relief for the security situation compared to the situations during the first ballot in 2005.

“We feel safe this time. That’s why I brought my family members to vote, unlike the situation in 2005 when I came alone for fear of suicide attacks,” said 56-aged Samir Mawlood, a retired engineer.

Ibrahim Khalil, 88, who participated in the elections in Ma’moon district told Xinhua that he came to do something for people before he dies.

“I believe that my people have to start their own lives themselves. It is probably my last mission in life that I brought my sons and daughters to vote for their future,” Khalil proudly said.

Although Iraq concluded provincial elections without recording major attacks, the city of Tikrit, some 170 km north of Baghdad, witnessed four mortar attacks and a roadside bomb explosion taking place in areas close to polling stations in the city, without causing human casualties, according to local police.

The landmark provincial election is expected to reshape the Iraqi political map as Sunni Arabs are hoping to win a share of local power after they boycotted the last provincial polls.

VietNamNet/Xinhuanet