Among the 41 candidates, former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah and former Financial Minister Ashraf Ghani are main rivals of President Karzai, who won the 2004 presidential election with 55 percent of the vote.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai hailed the election a success, praising the Afghan people for braving Taliban 'bombs and intimidations.' His government said at least 26 people have been killed in the attacks.

The vote counting could take about three weeks and the final result is expected to be announced on Sept. 17. Candidate who can fix the victory must get more than 50 percent of the vote, reports said.