The United Nations has described today's constitutional referendum in Iraq as smooth and 'incredibly peaceful' with few infringements of procedure.
According to UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, the referendum represented a chance for the country to move 'away from violence and towards unity'.
Iraqis were voting on a constitution that that aims to lay the foundations for a post-Saddam Hussein era.
The charter, drafted after weeks of tortuous negotiations, establishes a democratic framework for a new Iraq but has sharply divided the country on ethnic lines.
Turnout among the 15.5 million voters was estimated to have been around 10 million.
At least eight of 18 provinces saw turnout above 66%, but in some areas it was below 33%.
Tight security did not prevent sporadic outbreaks of violence during the voting.
Insurgents fought gun battles with Iraqi and US forces in Ramadi, west of Baghdad, but throughout much of the country voting appeared to go smoothly and safely.
Sunni militants threatened to attack the vote, but while mortars landed near a polling station in Baghdad and several roadside bombs went off, there was much less violence than expected.
This was in marked contrast to the elections in January, when guerrillas carried out more than a hundred attacks, killing more than 40 people.
Iraqi troops and police, along with US-led foreign forces, were deployed to try to prevent any attacks on polling stations today.
Iraq's borders had been closed to non-essential traffic and private cars are banned from roads in many areas.
The majority Shias were expected to approve the constitution, while the minority Sunni were likely to either vote No or stay at home. Official results are expected to be known by Tuesday.
