Erbil, Iraq, Dhu-AlQa'dah 15, 1434, Sep 21, 2013, SPA -- Polls closed Saturday in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region and vote counting began after an estimated 65 per cent of the registered voters showed up to elect a new parliament, according to dpa. Lines of voters formed outside polling stations across the northern region, with the electoral commission saying balloting ran smoothly. Some 3 million citizens were eligible to vote in the polls contested by a total of 1,125 candidates from 27 political parties. Four other contenders stood as independents. Initial results were expected at midnight (2100 GMT). "These elections are a big step forward for the democratic experience in Kurdistan and will lead to a fundamental and necessary change in the political map in the region," said Abdul-Razzaq Ali, a spokesman for Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP), one of Kurdistan's major parties. Kurdistan "now waits for a government with a broad popular base," he told dpa. For the first time since 1992, the two main parties in the region - KDP and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) - competed against each other in Saturday's polls. -- SPA 21:02 LOCAL TIME 18:02 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/1149178