The Polish parliamentary elections kicked off Sunday morning as voters began to cast their ballots at 7:00 a.m.(0500 GMT), the State Electoral Commission (PKW) said.

A Polish man waits for casting his ballot at a poll station in Warsaw, Poland, Oct. 9, 2011. The Polish parliamentary elections kicked off Sunday morning as voters began to cast their ballots at 7:00 a.m.(0500 GMT), the State Electoral Commission (PKW) said. (Xinhua/Gao Fan)

Among the total of more than 30 million eligible voters, 841 people said to vote via mail and 43 asked for Braille alphabet voting cards for the blind. Besides, some 22,000 Poles abroad also tended to ballot by mail.

Exit poll was scheduled at the closing of the stations at 9:00 p.m. (1900 GMT), the PKW said.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk, from the centrist Civic Platform (PO), is seeking for a second term against the conservative opposition.

Latest pre-election surveys on Friday showed the ruling PO party, with 39 percent, was ahead of its main rival, the opposition Law and Justices (PiS) party who got 29 percent of supports.

In the elections, Poles will elect 460 members of the Sejm, or the lower house of the parliament from 7,035 candidates, and 100 seats of the upper house Senate, from 501 candidates.

The final official results would be announced Tuesday afternoon, according to the commission.

Under the Polish Constitution, the first session of the new Sejm will be held between Oct. 10 and Nov. 8, during which the outgoing prime minister will submit the resignation of his cabinet.

The president will appoint a new prime minister, who will propose a new cabinet within 14 days after the first Sejm session.

The Sejm will then hold a vote of confidence in the new cabinet in December.

* Poland's ruling party gains 39 pct of votes with 93 pct counted: electoral commission

Poland's governing Civic Platform (PO) won 38.96 percent of votes in the Sunday parliamentary elections, the State Electoral Commission said on Monday morning, presenting unofficail partial results from 93.05 percent of constituencies.

According to the Commission, the Law and Justice (PiS) received 30.03 percent of votes, the Palikot Movement (RP) 9.94 percent, the Polish People's Party (PSL) 8.55 percent and the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) 8.19 percent of the votes.

The voter turnout reached 48.63 percent.

Poland Comes First (PJN), the New Right of Janusz Korwin Mikke and the Polish Labor Party - August 80 fell short of the five percent of the vote required for parliamentary representation and have not won seats in the national assembly.

The Commission expects to announce the official results of the elections on Tuesday evening.

In Sunday's elections, Poles have elected 460 members of the Sejm, or the lower house, from 7,035 candidates, and 100 seats of the upper house Senate, from 501 candidates.

VietNamNet/Xinhuanet