Azernews.Az

By Aynur Jafarova

As of 10:00 a.m. local time, some 937,465 people voted in the presidential elections, the Central Election Commission of Azerbaijan (CEC) reported.

As of 10:00 a.m. local time, 8.43 percents of voters participated in the presidential elections in Ganja.

Polling stations opened throughout Azerbaijan at 8 a.m. on October 9, as the country's citizens start casting ballots for one of the ten presidential candidates.

This year ten candidates will compete for the top job, including chairman of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party, incumbent President Ilham Aliyev, Umid Party leader Igbal Aghazade, self-nominated candidate Zahid Oruj, chairman of the United Popular Front Party Gudrat Hasanguliyev, Modern Musavat party leader Hafiz Hajiyev, Azerbaijan Social Democratic Party chairman Araz Alizade, National Revival Party leader Faraj Guliyev, chairman of the Adalat (Justice) party Ilyas Ismayilov, Jamil Hasanli from the opposition National Council as well as chairman of the Azerbaijan Democratic Party Sardar Jalaloghlu.

The number of eligible voters in the country is nearly 5,145,000. The voting is conducted in 5,492 polling stations. Thirty-eight polling stations were set up abroad.

The voting is conducted in 125 constituencies - 5,492 polling stations - of which 5,273 are permanent and 219 are located in Azerbaijan's embassies, consulates general and permanent representations in foreign countries, as well as in ships navigating under the country's national flag in the Caspian Sea and international waters, military units, sanatoriums, treatment and correctional facilities.

The CEC issued a total of 5,149,255 ballot papers for the election.

All polling stations were provided with indelible ink and special devises for reading it. The computers are connected to the State Automated Information System by optical fiber cables to ensure immediate delivery of available information to CEC's "Sechkiler" information center.

The CEC will issue five reports (10.00, 12.00, 15.00, 17.00, and 19.00) through the State Automated Information System which will be available at the commission's official websites (www.msk.gov.az; www.cec.gov.az; www.infocenter.gov.az).

Some 1,000 polling stations (20 percent) are equipped with webcams (except in voting booths) to provide internet users with an opportunity to watch the whole voting process online. The list of the webcam-equipped polling stations is available at CEC`s websites, and was published in the press.

The number of eligible voters in the country is nearly 5,145,000.

Also, about 52,000 local observers, including representatives of political parties, NGOs and independent observers monitor the voting process.