Voters are heading for 25,993 polling stations, which included 744 in hospitals, 508 in homes for the elderly, 96 in prisons, 70 in detention houses as well as 268 stations abroad.

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 on October 11 afternoon, according to the commission.

Under the Polish Constitution, the first session of the new Sejm will be held between October 10 and November 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.