KABUL, Oct. 9 (Xinhuanet) -- Voting for the first-ever presidential election in post-war Afghanistan began amid tight security Saturday morning.

    Groups of people including women stood on separate queues in front of the polling stations to cast their votes in favor of their favorite candidates.

    Majority of the voters including women are reluctant to disclose the name of their favorite candidates or to whom they want to vote.

    "It is my private decision and do not want to reveal it," saidAbdul Aziz, an ethnic Hazara and a retired army officer at a polling center, while another voter, an 18 year-old student Mohabob Shah from ethnic Pashtun openly said that he would cast his vote for Karzai.

    Over a dozen candidates including the incumbent President HamidKarzai are in the run to sweep the landmark direct presidential polls in the post-Taliban nation.

    Head of the joint UN-Afghan election commission, Zakim Shah in a televised speech Friday night asked Afghans to use their vote for the betterment of the nation and elect a patriot Afghan to serve the country.

    More than 10.5 million Afghans including over 4 million women are going to some 22,000 polling stations across the country to cast ballots to choose their president.

    A 19-year-old Afghan refugee in Pakistan became the election's first voter early Saturday, casting a ballot in Islamabad, capitalof Pakistan.

    Around 3 million Afghans are still living as refugees in Pakistan and Iran. To ensure the smooth going of the voting, over 21 million ballot papers have been printed for Afghans both at home and abroad to be used in the presidential elections.

    The crucial polling, according to the officials of the joint UN-Afghan election commission, will be observed by around 5,000 locals including domestic agents from 35 political parties and 600foreign observers.

    Hamid Karzai is the favorite to win the poll.

    The balloting process will last for only one day and voting will end at 4:00 p.m.(1130 GMT) on Saturday. Enditem