First Iraq vote results expected by Thursday - U.N.

"I think it's fair to say the world has been impressed by the professional way that these elections have taken place."

Turnout was 62 percent, higher than in last year's provincial election, despite a spate of insurgent attacks that killed 39 people, all but one of them in Baghdad, on voting day.

The U.S. military, which stayed in the background while Iraqi security forces protected the election, praised the conduct of the vote and said the violence had been limited.

General Ray Odierno, the U.S. commander in Iraq, said plans were on track to reduce troop levels from 96,000 now to 50,000 by the end of August, ahead of a full withdrawal by end-2011.

(Additional reporting by Aseel Kami and Jim Loney, editing by Alistair Lyon)