Organizers of Afghanistan's landmark general elections say that according to early reports from nearly all polling stations, turnout was 53 percent.
U.N.-Afghan chief electoral officer Peter Erben says Thursday this is in line with earlier estimates, with some 6.6 million voters casting ballots in the first parliamentary elections in more than 30 years.
The figure for Sunday's polls is more than one million lower than in last year's presidential election.
Analysts say a range of factors, including a complex electoral system and the fear of attacks by Taleban insurgents, have caused the drop in numbers.
Meanwhile, vote counting from the elections is under way. Election officials say they plan to issue intermittent results, but a final certified result for all of the provinces is expected to take more than month.
Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.