Afghanistan orders the closure of polling stations after the nation took to the streets to vote in the make-or-break presidential election despite several incidents of violence across the country.

Afghanistan’s election commission has announced that any voters still queuing in the nearly 6,500 polling centers across the country would be allowed to cast their ballots.

The official end to voting was 4:00 pm (1130 GMT), 9 hours after the polling stations opened on Thursday.

Commission officials claimed the turnout to be good and said the number of voters may reach 50 percent in the landmark polls to determine the next president and members of the provincial councils.

Observers, however, expect the number to be far lower. Many independent reports also suggested a slow start to voting.

Witnesses said the initial turnout in the election, marred by a surge of violence in the troubled southern and eastern provinces, was about a third or a fourth of the turnout in the 2004 polls.

A number of people were killed on Thursday, including children in rocket attacks that reportedly hit the southern provinces of Kandahar, Ghazni and Helmand, the eastern provinces of Nangarhar, Kunar and Khost, as well as in the north.

There have also been unconfirmed reports about deadly attacks in remote parts of the war-ravaged country as well.

Taliban insurgents also prevented several polling stations from opening in some remote towns. However, the UN said that the vast majority of polling stations were able to function.

Several incidents went unreported as Afghanistan had called on local and international media outlets to refrain from reporting violent incidents on Election Day.

Thousands of US-led troops backed by Afghan soldiers were on patrol to prevent terrorist attacks. Militants had warned people against participating in the election and promised to attack polling stations.

The violence in the conflict-torn country is on the rise despite the presence of more than 100,000 international soldiers in Afghanistan.

Incumbent President Hamid Karzai, who is tipped for re-election, faces more than two dozen rivals. The election is the second presidential vote held since US-led troops invaded Afghanistan in 2001.

Source: Press TV