United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has praised peaceful elections held in Iraq last Saturday.
But on a visit to Baghdad on Friday, he said Iraq has much more to do before it attains lasting stability.
The elections were held in 14 of the 18 provinces.
Allies of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki made significant gains across the south. Elsewhere, Sunni Arabs who boycotted the previous provincial polls in 2005, regained political power.
