(VOVworld) – Syrian voters on Tuesday began to cast their vote in the first presidential election in nearly 50 years, the first since the Ba’ath Party seized power in 1963.

Syrians cast their votes at a station in Damascus on June 3rd (Photo: AFP/VNA)

The race for the Syrian presidency attracted the participation of many candidates. Syria’s Ministry of Home Affairs said nearly 9,600 voting stations nationwide opened their doors at 7 a.m. local time. More than 1.5 million eligible voters are expected to take part in the vote. Voting stations have been set up at refugee camps so that thousands of refugees can also cast their votes. Voting stations will close at 7 p.m. local time.

Three of the total 24 registered presidential candidates are said to be eligible and have won the approval of the Supreme Constitutional Court of Syria. They are lawmaker Maher Abdel Hafiz Hajjar, former Minister of Administrative Development Hassan Abdallah al-Nuri, and outgoing President Bashar al-Assad.