BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraq's interim leader called on his countrymen to set aside their differences today while jubilant Iraqis sifted through millions of ballots, tallying the results of a vote they hoped would usher in democracy and lead to the departure of 150,000 American troops.

But there were fears that not everyone would accept Sunday's results. Sunni participation was considerably lower than other groups, a U.S. official said on condition of anonymity. That raised fears that Sunni radicals who drive Iraq's insurgency could grow ever more alienated.

Exact figures were not available, but few voters visited polls in Sunni areas - and four stations didn't open - during Sunday's election.

Despite fears of growing violence, the nation was calm today as vehicles again wove their way down Baghdad's streets after an election day ban on most traffic. Still, the city's main bridges were blocked, indicating some security was still in place. On Sunday, a string of insurgent attacks and eight suicide bombings killed 44 people.

The election will almost certainly bring to power the country's long-suppressed Shiite Muslims, who make up 60 percent of Iraq's population, boosting the group's influence and worrying neighboring countries with Sunni majorities.

Iraqi interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi addressed those concerns by saying he would "begin a national dialogue to guarantee that the voices of all Iraqis are present in the coming government."

In his first news conference since the election, he called on Iraqis to work together toward peace, saying: "The terrorists now know that they cannot win."

"We are entering a new era of our history and all Iraqis - whether they voted or not - should stand side by side to build their future," he said, adding: "Now is a suitable time for us to work together so that the whole world can watch the capabilities of this great country."

Final results of Sunday's election aren't expected for days, but the country is already focusing on goals almost as challenging as the election itself: forming a new governing coalition, then writing a constitution and winning trust.

The electoral commission said it believed, based on anecdotal information, that turnout overall among the estimated 14 million eligible Iraqi voters appeared higher than the 57 percent, or roughly 8 million, that had been predicted before the vote. But it would be some time before any precise turnout figure was confirmed, they said.

Not even the country's frequent power outages could stop the electoral process, the first free vote in a half-century. In the Shiite holy city of Najaf, election workers began their task crouched on the ground, counting ballots by the glow of oil lamps.

Voters were delighted. "Now I feel that Saddam is really gone," said Fatima Ibrahim, smiling as she headed home after voting in Irbil, in the Kurdish northern region. She was 14 and a bride of just three months when her husband, father and brother were rounded up in a campaign of ethnic cleansing under Saddam Hussein. None have ever been found.

It was still unclear if the successful vote would deal a significant blow to the insurgents, or lead to a short-term rise in violence. The militants might need time to regroup after the spate of attacks they launched in the weeks before the vote.

The election was hailed as a success around the globe, with President Bush declaring: "The world is hearing the voice of freedom from the center of the Middle East." Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Iraqis showed "the courage to stand up to (violence) and we should support them."

In Europe, both opponents and supporters of the Iraq war came together to praise the election, and the European Union's foreign policy chief said the milestone would pay off with more aid.

"They are going to find the support of the European Union, no doubt about that, in order to see this process move on in the right direction," Javier Solana told The Associated Press.

But some cautioned that it was too early to declare the election a total success. New Zealand Foreign Minister Phil Goff said a low Sunni turnout could still impact the new government's ability to bring the frail nation under its control.

"Ways must be found to involve Sunnis in the drafting of the constitution, which will define power among Iraq's disparate groups, and to give them a stake in the new government," he said.

Sunday's historic election came only seven months after Iraq's interim government took over from a U.S.-led coalition, and less than two years after Saddam's ouster.

The 275-member National Assembly, elected for an 11-month term, will draft a permanent constitution, and if the document is approved, Iraqis will vote for a permanent government in December. If the document is rejected, Iraqis will repeat the whole process again.

Iraq's interior minister, Falah al-Naqib, said today that insurgents used a handicapped child for one of Sunday's suicide bombings. He added that a total of 38 attacks were carried out against polling stations across the country.

Britain's government said today that 10 of its military personnel were missing and presumed dead following the downing of a military transport plane north of Baghdad on Iraq's election day. An Iraqi militant group claimed responsibility for shooting down the plane in an Internet statement.

No official cause for the plane crash was given.

British officials told The Associated Press that between nine and 15 people were killed, with the toll likely to be around 10. Among the dead was the first Australian serviceman killed on military duty in Iraq: flight Lt. Paul Pardoel, 35, a father of three with joint British and Australian citizenship.

The ticket endorsed by the Shiite Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani was the pre-voting favorite, while Allawi's slate was also considered strong. Once results are in, it could take weeks of backroom deals before a prime minister and government are picked by the new assembly.

If that government can draw in the minority Sunni Arabs who partly shunned the election, the country could stabilize, allowing 150,000 U.S. troops to head home.

With the polls barely closed, international debate immediately turned to just that issue. Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid today plans to call on Bush to outline an exit strategy for Iraq. And Downer said his country will keep troops only if the country's newly elected government wants them.

Iraq's interior minister, Falah al-Naqib, told Britain's Channel 4 News he expected there would be no need for U.S. troops any longer than 18 months, because that's when he anticipates Iraq's security forces will be trained well enough to handle the job themselves.

But Allawi said recently that it was premature to know when Iraqi troops would be ready.

And in comments to CBS' "Face The Nation," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would not say whether U.S. forces would leave the country in great numbers now that the vote is complete.