Chairman of the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia Kemal Bedrion Monday praised voters' enthusiasm and perseverance to take part in the country's third general elections, and assured election in some problematic polling stations will be carried out later.

"The last polling station closed (Monday) at 5 a.m. (0200 GMT) in Addis Ababa, and counting is going on until 10 a.m. (0700 GMT), " Kemal Bedri said in a news briefing here.

"The determination of the people to exercise their democratic rights is a sure guarantee that democracy is here to stay," the chairman said, adding that he estimated Sunday's turnout was more than 90 percent.

The election was scheduled to close at 6 p.m. (1500 GMT) on Sunday, but the electoral board said it gave extra time for the voters so as to ensure that no electors coming were denied their rights to vote.

The May 15 contest, only Ethiopia's second real multi-party elections, are seen as a test of its progress toward democracy after centuries of feudalism and decades of administration by the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front party ( EPRDF).

Ethiopia held its first democratic elections in 1995, but almost all opposition parties boycotted them.

Kemal said that so far the electoral board has not received any claim of election fraud by any party, and the biggest problem was the lengthy electoral progress.

He said the small number of students, affected by the registration problem at polling stations in Jimma and Alemaya universities in the east and southern part of the country, would be allowed to vote in the coming days.

Thirty-six political parties vie for seats in Ethiopia's 547- seat lower house of parliament, the Council of People's Representatives. The prime minister will come from the party snatching most seats.

Voters also elect representatives in nine regional state parliaments that will appoint members of the 112-seat Council of the Federation, parliament's upper house.

More than 26.5 million of Ethiopia's 74 million people registered to vote in the election in Africa's third most populous country.

The biggest opposition Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) has fielded candidates almost in every constituency, posing the most serious challenge to the ruling EPRDF, which has been in power for 14 years.

Although Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's EPRDF is widely expected to win a third five-year term in the east African country, observers say the ruling party's parliamentary majority may dwindle under challenges from opposition candidates.

Late Sunday, Meles banned all public demonstrations in the capital and assumed direct control of the security forces after elections that the opposition said were marred by widespread fraud.

He said he took the steps to ensure post-election stability despite huge voter turnout and praise from international observers who doubted the opposition charges.

The CUD, along with another opposition coalition the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces have accused Meles' EPRDF of orchestrating a campaign to harass and intimidate the opposition and rig the vote.

Government officials have dismissed the complaints and the two main international election observation missions said there was no evidence to back up the protests.

The electoral board said it has set up a complaints handling process, and political parties can submit their complaints at polling stations, constituencies or the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia's headquarters.

According to the board, it will produce and publish the provisional consolidated results by May 21, and the chairman will announce official final results by June 8.