Seven
million Afghans out of an estimated eligible 12 million voted in the
election for a new president, the country's electoral commission says.
It is the strife-torn nation's first transfer of power via the ballot box.
There are reports of ballot paper shortages and sporadic violence from across the country.
Eight
candidates are seeking to succeed Hamid Karzai, who is barred by the
constitution from seeking a third consecutive term as president.
A
massive operation was launched to thwart the Taliban, who had vowed to
disrupt the election, and heavy rainfall may have depressed turnout in
some areas.
Independent
Electoral Commission (IEC) secretary Ziaul Haq Amarkhel said seven
million people had voted by 17:00 local time, when the polls had officially closed..
For some voters, a finger stained with identifying ink has become a badge of pride - and defiance.
Many women took part in the polls, although not in the same numbers as men.
"I'm
not afraid of Taliban threats, we will die one day anyway. I want my
vote to be a slap in the face of the Taliban," Kabul housewife Laila
Neyazi told AFP news agency.
There
are eight candidates for president, but three are considered
frontrunners - former foreign ministers Abdullah Abdullah and Zalmai
Rassoul, and former Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai.
Dr
Abdullah has fought a polished campaign, Mr Ghani has strong support
among the new urban youth vote and Dr Rassoul is believed to favoured by
Hamid Karzai, our correspondent says.
However,
no candidate is expected to secure more than the 50% of the vote needed
to be the outright winner, which means there is likely to be a second
round run-off on 28 May.
In
the latest in a string of deadly attacks that marred the lead-up to the
election, award-winning German photographer Anja Niedringhaus was
killed and veteran Canadian reporter Kathy Gannon was injured when a
police commander opened fire on their car in the eastern town of Khost
on Friday.
Interior
Minister Omar Daudzai told the BBC that the man being held over the
shooting might have acted under the influence of "stress" and added he
thought it was a "one-off incident" unconnected to the Taliban.
The run-up to the historic poll has been the bloodiest since the fall of the Taliban, says the BBC's Lyse Doucet in Kabul.
The
heavily guarded interior ministry, the main compound of the IEC and the
five-star Serena Hotel, popular with foreigners, have all been attacked.
The election was a major logistical challenge for the authorities, with some areas only accessible on foot
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