A woman wearing a face mask votes at a polling site in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia on June 24, 2020. (PHOTO / AFP)

ULAN BATOR - Voting for local elections in Mongolia began Thursday morning amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

All voting stations were disinfected to protect voters from possible infection, the commission said, urging voters to wear masks inside polling stations

The vote kicked off at 7 am and will last until 8:00 pm local time at 2,148 polling stations across all of the 21 provinces nationwide, according to the country's General Election Commission (GEC).

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A total of nine political parties, a coalition and more than 300 independent candidates will run for the elections, and more than 2.1 million Mongolians are eligible to vote, the GEC said in a statement.

All voting stations were disinfected to protect voters from possible infection, the commission said, urging voters to wear masks inside polling stations.

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Mongolia successfully held parliamentary elections in June amid tight anti-coronavirus measures. The ruling Mongolia People's Party (MPP) won a landslide victory in the elections, taking 62 of 76 seats in the unicameral parliament or the State Great Khural.

It remains unknown whether Mongolians will reaffirm their confidence in the MPP in the ongoing elections.