<br/> The counting of votes in Iraq’s parliamentary elections is underway and the electoral commission of country is expected to announce preliminary results on March 10 or 11, based on votes from about 30 per cent of the polling stations from the election.<br/><br/> Meanwhile the commission has urged Iraqi political parties to wait for the announcement of official results before declaring victory in the country's parliamentary poll. The chairman of the commission, Farag al-Haidary made the appeal in a news conference in Baghdad last evening as election officials began counting the ballots following the close of polls.<br/><br/> Meanwhile US president Barack Obama has paid tribute to the courage of Iraqis who defied threats to advance their democracy by voting in Iraq’s general election. In his first reaction to the crucial vote, he said that their participation demonstrates that the Iraqi people have chosen to shape their future through the political process. He reiterated his commitment to stick to the withdrawal schedule of US forces, which will end their combat operation in August this year and leave the country by the end of 2011.