There was cautious optimism across America and the Middle East as the polls closed today in Iraq's first multi-party elections in 50 years.

Arab commentators said that the voters had sent a strong message that insurgents failed to wreck the poll. The most upbeat reaction came from the Abu Dhabi-based daily Al-Ittihad, which declared jubilantly "The new Iraq is born today" on its front page.

The Arab News newspaper in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia called the vote "a very historic moment in the country's long history," and said it was "a much needed victory for moderation."

But analysts also voiced concern that the chaos had not allowed for truly representative elections. "We don't want to drown in optimism," said the Qatar daily Al-Sharq. "For we know that the elections in Iraq aim for democracy, but it is not held in such an atmosphere."

There was relief in America, where the new Secretary of State said that the Iraq elections were not being marked by the spectacular violence that many had feared.

"Every indication is that the election in Iraq is going better than expected," Condoleezza Rice told ABC's This Week. "What we're seeing here is the voice of freedom."

She conceded that the poll was "not perfect", but she called it a positive development no one had foreseen three years ago when Saddam Hussein was still the dictator of Iraq.

In a sign of the nervousness behind the scenes in Washington at how well the Iraqi elections would go, President Bush gave up his usual weekend getaway at the Camp David presidential retreat to remain at the White House to monitor the results and the violence.

"The terrorists will stop at nothing to try to disrupt this election, yet, in the face of intimidation, the Iraqi people are standing firm," said Claire Buchan, a White House spokeswoman.

Iraq's long-oppressed Shia population are expected to emerge the strongest party when the results of today's ballot are known, probably in a week's time.

America and Arab countries are nervous at the growing power of Iraq's Shia majority and are watching the vote to see how an emboldened Shia population across Iraq and Iran will influence the balance of power in the region.

The Sunni-dominated government of Syria was also keenly watching developments. One Syrian analyst warned that the security situation could worsen if Sunnis were under-represented in the new National Assembly.

"These elections ... do not represent all Iraqi sects, which means the security situation will not settle down soon, and could cause instability in the rest of the region," said Imad Shouebi, an analyst.

Meanwhile in Iran, a leading MP said that Iraq's elections represented a "great step" towards the country's independence.

"The organisation of the elections in Iraq constitute a great step for Iraqis towards an independent and popular regime," Alaeddin Boroujerdi was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency.

Thousands of Iraqi exiles living in Iran have funded a lavish advertising campaign on Iranian state television in favour of the United Iraqi Alliance, a 224-strong candidate list of Shia parties running in Sunday's general elections.

Iranian state TV has also been carrying adverts for "List 169", a Shia grouping backed by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani and led by Abdel Aziz Hakim, head of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI). Mr Hakim's party has close ties with the Iranian regime.

But most Iranian officials appeared to be staying quiet while voting was underway, with state television reporting only a strong turnout and minimising the impact of a series of militant attacks. Iran has been accused of meddling in Iraq and backing insurgents, charges the clerical regime in Tehran have denied.

In Britain, there were noisy protests outside the polling stations where ex-patriate Iraqis were casting their ballots.

Brian Talbot, the manager of Oldham Athletic Football FC was attacked after he was caught up in a skirmish outside a polling station in Manchester on his way to Oldham’s FA Cup match against Bolton. As he passed, fighting had broken out between rival groups of Iraqis and one of them was accidentally struck by Talbot’s car. A mob of more than 20 surrounded his car, smashing its windows and assaulting Talbot.

An Oldham Athletic spokesman told BBC GMR radio: "Brian was very shaken up and his car was in a right state. But he has made it to the game and he just wants to get on with the match now."

In London a group of around 50 protesters gathered outside the Wembley Conference and Exhibition Centre today. Waving banners and shouting slogans in Arabic, the demonstrators spoke out against the election in Iraq.

Sarah Fradgley, a spokeswoman for Out of Country Voting programme (OVC), said they had not blocked the bus loads of Iraqis arriving from various parts of the country, including Wales. "There are thousands of Iraqis here and this group make up a very small part," she said.

Iraqis casting absentee ballots in the Middle East said that the vote showed the Iraqi people would not let the insurgents dominate the country.

"This is a clear and loud message that Iraqis inside and outside are united in defeating terrorism," said Mansour Ibrahim, as he entered a polling station in the smart Suwfiya neighborhood in Amman, Jordan.

In Iran, Houshang Darab, a textile broker, said that Iraq should now be left alone to decide its future without any intervention from the United States - or Iran.

"A secular, democratic government (in Iraq) is the best choice since it would not have any excuse for war," he said, recalling the devastating fighting that raged between the two countries from 1980 to 1988.

Times Recommends

• Michael Jackson: Not the final chapter
• Indian Army spends10m rupees on golf buggies
• Brüno toned down for 15 rating