Tripoli , Libya ( CNN ) -- After Libyans cast ballots in a ground-breaking parliamentary election , officials Sunday turned to the next step in determining the country 's political future : counting the votes . Authorities started transporting ballot boxes from polling stations around the country to the main tally center in Tripoli , said Nuri Khalifa Al-Abbar , chairman of Libya 's High National Election Commission . Tallying began at polling centers Saturday night . Some preliminary results could be announced Sunday or Monday , he said , according to the state-run LANA news agency . The election came 17 months after political demonstrations against longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi broke out in two Libyan cities . Those demonstrations spread , leading to a civil war , NATO air strikes , and Gadhafi 's death by a gunshot wound to the head in October . Libyans turn out big in historic election . Saturday , about 1.7 million Libyans -- roughly 60 % of the nation 's 2.8 million registered voters -- cast ballots , Al-Abbar said . The turnout was expected to increase Sunday , as eight polling centers were opened after violence on election day stopped voters from casting ballots the day before . Celebrations in Tripoli began Saturday and continued overnight after the parliamentary vote , which many saw as the African nation 's first steps to building a free and democratic nation . The city 's main square -- once called Green Square for Gadhafi 's political philosophy but now known as Martyr 's Square for all those who fell in last year 's revolution -- became a focal point for the celebrations , with cars packing the square and surrounding streets . Families and young men were driving , waving flags and honking horns , many to the tune of the revolutionary chant `` raise your head up high , you are a free Libyan . '' The last time Libya held an election was almost half a century ago and for many people , the act of casting a ballot was novel after 42 years of Gadhafi 's autocratic rule . United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon congratulated the Libyan people on the election and also hailed the electoral staff for `` well-conducted and transparent '' polling . `` Last year , thousands of Libyans sacrificed their lives or suffered lasting injury in order to win the right of the Libyan people to build a new state founded on human dignity and the rule of law , '' Ban said in a statement . `` Yesterday , their determination was again on display as men and women , young and old , cast their ballots , many with deep emotion , even in some areas where they faced threats to their security . '' There was significant voter participation , with about 80 % of the nation 's 3.5 million eligible voters registered by Saturday . But the election indicated a strong interest among people interested in being part of the nation 's fledgling government as well . More than 3,500 candidates stood in the election for a 200-seat national assembly . The winners are expected to be announced by the end of next week . More than 13,000 soldiers were on the streets Saturday , but not all went smoothly . Two polling centers were set ablaze in the eastern city of Benghazi , said Alexander Graf Lambsdorff , head of the EU election assessment mission . And in two other cities , polls did not open until 2 p.m. , six hours before they were set to close . Rights group : Rein in Libyan militias . In the eastern city of Ajdabiya , five polling centers opened but four others on the outskirts did not . Friday , anti-aircraft fire hit a Libyan air force helicopter transporting ballot boxes from the eastern city of Benghazi to nearby areas , the Interior Ministry said . One person was killed . It was unclear who was behind the attack . And protesters earlier last week attacked a warehouse and torched ballots and other election materials . This was one of several anti-election incidents staged by Libyans in the east who see an unequal distribution of seats in the national assembly . The 200 seats are allocated by population , reserving 100 for the western Tripolitania , 60 for Cyrenaica in the east , and 40 for the south . The mistrust stems from the many years of Gadhafi 's rule , under which the eastern region felt largely neglected and marginalized . Benghazi emerged as the cradle of the Libyan uprising but many of its residents now feel their revolution has been usurped by the National Transitional Council based in Tripoli . Council member Mohammed al-Sayeh dismissed the disruptions as `` minor '' and said there was no lack of trust between east and west . `` Libya will be always united , '' he said . `` It is the first fair and legitimate election . '' The parliamentary vote is a litmus test for post-Gadhafi Libya . The new national assembly will be tasked with appointing a transitional government and crafting a constitution . International court staff freed after detention in Libya . CNN 's Moni Basu contributed to this report .
NEW : U.N. Secretary-General Moammar Gadhafi congratulates the African people on the election . Some polling centers remain open after violence stopped voters from casting ballots . Preliminary results of the parliamentary vote could be announced Monday or Sunday , an official says . The 200-seat U.N. will help rebuild the nation , create institutions .