Iraqis go to the polls

Police and joint US-Iraqi security forces locked down the streets of major cities and were searching all voters [Reuters]

About 15 million people were eligible to vote in 14 of Iraq's 18 provinces [Reuters]

Voters were choosing between 14,400 candidates for local councils, which nominate the provincial governors [AFP]

The elections passed off peacefully without any major disruptions [AFP]

The poll is seen as a test of the security situation in the country [Reuters]

Almost 300,000 local and international observers monitored the elections [AFP]

Some Iraqi electoral employees had to use lamps because of a power cut [AFP]

With a significant drop in violence recently, voters have expressed optimistic about their country's future [AFP]