China was watching closely the results of the general election in Iraq, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Qin Gang said?on?Thursday.

Qin said at a regular press briefing that China was paying close attention to current process of vote counting and the conduct of the general election in Iraq last weekend.

Qin said no matter what the results would be, China hoped that Iraq would realize peace, stability and development.

"We hope Iraq's sovereign rights will be respected," Qin said. "We hope the Iraqi people will enjoy happiness."

Iraq held landmark elections on Sunday as more than 18 million Iraqis turned up to cast their ballots in some 8,920 polling centers across the country to vote for the 325-seat Iraqi Council of Representatives.

According to United Nations sources, preliminary results of the elections are expected to be released on Thursday.