would have an impact on their lives and country. Political analysts said this election could correct some of the political imbalances that resulted from the 2005 election. Saturday's voting also was seen as a referendum on the popularity of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. We are trying to build a new system of government in the heart of the Islamic Middle East, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh told CNN. The overwhelming majority of the people of Iraq are having a stake in this process, are buying into this democratic process. Those elected will have regional power over the essentials Iraqis have been desperate for -- basic services and jobs, Damon reported. Observers believe the provincial vote will be a gauge of the country's political direction and an indication of how the parliamentary elections will turn out later this year. The results should spell out the status of the Sunni Arab Awakening movement -- which opposes al Qaeda in Iraq -- and the popularity of the Shiite factions, such as those backing al-Maliki, Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, and the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq. Officials set up tough counter-terror measures for the election, including security rings around polling stations and vigorous searches of voters. Despite the heightened security, three mortars exploded near a polling station in central Tikrit, about 100 miles -LRB- 160 kilometers