Mongolian voters went to the polls on Thursday to cast their ballots in the parliamentary election.

A total of 1,905 polling stations around the country opened at 7:00 am local time (2300 GMT Wednesday) and will close at 8:00 pm (1200 GMT) on the same day.

Some 1.83 million registered voters will cast their ballots in 26 constituencies around the country to elect 76 lawmakers.

Mongolian President Tsakhia Elbegdorj cast his ballots in a polling station in Sukhbaatar district of Ulan Bator.

"Mongolian voters have made great contributions to the country's democracy development and this election will become a historic parliamentary election in Mongolian history," Elbegdorj told domestic and overseas media after he cast his ballot.

He said the election was significant in boosting democracy, social equality and justice in Mongolia, expressing his hope that the voters actively participate in the election in an earnest and responsible attitude.

A total of 544 candidates from 11 parties and two party coalitions, including the ruling Mongolian People's Party and the main opposition Democratic Party of Mongolia, contest for the 76 parliament seats.

More than 50 international observers from the United States, Britain, Canada, Russia and South Korea as well as international organizations, supervised the voting process.

The parliament will be elected through a mixed election system. Twenty-eight lawmakers will be elected using a proportional system, or vote for political parties, while the remaining 48 through a majority system.

It is also the first time for Mongolia to use electric counting machines for votes counting. An international observer told Xinhua that the new votes counting machines can improve the accuracy of counting and thus guarantee the fairness and authority of the election.