Azernews.Az

By Aynur Jafarova

As of 12:00 local time, some 1.894.050 million people (36.81 percent of all eligible voters) voted at the presidential election in the country, the information center under the Azerbaijani Central Election Commission (CEC) reported.

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.

Also, the commission has said its hot line has received 69 appeals so far.

Chief of the information center of the Secretariat of the CEC Rufat Gulmammadov said 49 appeals had been received by the 115 hot line, while 20 people appealed online. He said the appeals aimed to obtain information with respect to the election.

The hot line and the website of the CEC`s Information Center (www.infocenter.gov.az) can be used to report any frauds and irregularities in the course of voting. Voters can also use it to report problems with finding their names in the voting lists.

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).