The U.N. envoy for Iraq is urging political leaders in this "crucial" post-election period to swiftly form an inclusive new government that works across sectarian and ethnic divides.

Jan Kubis told the Security Council on Wednesday that it's essential the new government "works as one" to pursue political, economic and social reforms.

He urged Iraq's "political elites to draw the necessary conclusions" from this month's electoral turnout, the lowest since Saddam Hussein was toppled in 2003. He cited "the need for improved representation, justice for all, democratic accountability, and good governance void of corruption, sectarian quota system, nepotism and patronage."

U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley also called this "a key moment in Iraqi history," saying the next government will make important decisions "that will set Iraq's course for decades to come."