They said they would cooperate with the experts and still hoped to join Shias and Kurds in a grand coalition government capable of healing Iraq's sectarian wounds and providing its people with the basic services they so badly lack.
The closure of a major oil refinery in the northern town of Baiji due to fears of insurgent attacks heaped further misery on Iraqis, prompting longer-than-usual queues for fuel in the capital and fears that supplies would run out.
"If the refinery stays shut, the queues at fuel stations will get longer and I imagine I can see I'll have to wait more than three hours for petrol," said Sadiq Shamikh, 28, as he lined up to fill the tank of his taxi in Baghdad.
"Wasting time means losing money for me."
In a bid to placate their anger, the Iraqi Electoral Commission (IECI) has invited a panel of international experts to Baghdad to review the disputed results. The team comprises two Arab League representatives, a Canadian politician and a European academic.
Although there seems little they can do to dramatically change the outcome of the vote, their presence could help bring disgruntled Sunnis on board.
Responding to the initiative, the Iraqi Islamic Party, part of the main Sunni bloc, gave a cautious welcome.
"The arrival of this committee shows the international community has responded to our demands," said party official Iyad al-Samarraie. "(But) if we see it is willing only to check technical irregularities, we'll have to think about what to do."
Partial but near-complete ballot tallies show the Shias Islamist coalition which forms the backbone of the current government has done well, and should have nearly half the seats in the new parliament.
Those federal issues, enshrined in a constitution opposed by Sunnis, will top the agenda for Sunnis hoping to amend the charter once the new parliament convenes; many of them fear Kurds and Shias will deprive their community of oil revenues.
The Shias and Kurds have been holding bilateral talks in the largely peaceful north of Iraq this week while the violence has continued further south.