(VOVworld) – Afghans voters cast their ballots in the second round of the presidential election on Saturday to choose a successor to President Hamid Karzai and seal the first ever democratic transfer of power in the country’s history since the fall of Taliban in 2001.

Hamid Karzai casts his vote at a polling station in Kabul in the presidential run-off (Photo: EPA)

The polling stations are scheduled to close at 4 p.m but the Independent Electoral Commission said the time for voting may be extended if necessary. The initial results are expected to be announced on July 2^nd.
The first round of the Afghanistan’s presidential election took place on April 5^th but the two leading candidates: former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah and former economic expert of the World Bank Ashraf Ghani did not gain the majority of votes to win.