The prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, said that construction of the Adhamiya barrier would stop, but his military commanders hinted that it might go on, perhaps with less imposing barriers.

ECONOMIST: Do the people of Baghdad want security barriers? Yes and no

About 3, 500 candidates were running for 200 seats in a new parliament, and turnout was about 60% of the country's 2.8 million registered voters, election commission Chairman Nuri Khalifa Al-Abbar said.

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"We have succeeded in preventing Iraq from going into sectarian war -- which threatened our dear Iraq -- and I am fully confident that national reconciliation is our only way that takes Iraq into safety in spite of all the destabilizing actions by local and international groups, " said Nuri al-Maliki, who addressed the country's parliament, the Council of Representatives.

CNN: Iraq PM: Govt 'prevented sectarian war'