“We ask everyone to be patient, the results of the polls will not be available very quickly,” she said at a news conference on Sunday.
Some 11.64 percent of voters cast their ballots early in the current parliamentary election, whereas four years ago, in 2016, early voting turnout was as low as 6.65 percent.
“We have high early voting turnout this time. Early ballots are contained in envelopes and their counting takes a lot of time,” Matjosaityte said.
According to the data from the CEC, 9.51 percent of voters cast their ballots by 11 a.m. on Sunday whereas overall activity, including early voting, reached 21.16 percent.
Vote counting might also require more time than usual due to safety precautions taken due to the coronavirus. Also, the results of parliamentary elections are almost always announced somewhat later than the results of presidential polls.
Vote counting will begin immediately after the closure of polling stations at 8 p.m.