The sixth Kyrgyz presidential election kicked off Sunday morning, with a total of 3.03 million registered voters expected to cast ballots in more than 2,000 polling stations nationwide.

Among the 16 candidates, current Prime Minister Almazbek Atambayev, Adakhan Madumarov, leader of the United Kyrgyzstan party, and Kamchibek Tashiyev, head of the nationalist Ata-Zhurt party, are regarded as the main contenders.

Besides the 2,289 domestic polling stations, there are also 29 stations abroad, the country's Central Election Committee said.

The outgoing interim President Roza Otunbayeva, who took power after the riots in April last year, cast her ballot at the No. 1215 polling station.

She said she was sure that the Kyrgyz people will vote quietly and calmly for the peace, development and future of the country. "I believe the voting is honest and transparent," she said.

Otunbayeva, the country's former foreign minister, will step aside for the eventual winner at the end of this year.

Prime Minister Atambayev cast his vote at the No. 1209 polling station in Bishkek.

"Electing a president in the first round would be the best prospect," Atambayev said.

Atambayev also said he had never used the administrative resource. "The Central Election Commission will count the votes and no one will engage in vote rigging," he said.

He added that the losers will have to accept their defeat with dignity. "The losers always complain. But some accept their defeat with dignity, while others do not," he said.

At the No. 1258 polling station, people cast their votes one by one while security officials and volunteers helped maintain order.

The polling station gave a small gift -- a box of chocolate pies -- to the first voter. Twelve voters arrived before the station opened and waited in chilly weather.

Aliya, a 28-year-old middle school teacher, said she voted for the country's future. "I hope and believe that Kyrgyzstan will be prosperous in the near future," she said.

A total of 926 international observers from 56 countries will monitor the election, the first since former President Kurmanbek Bakiyev was ousted in April last year.

The ballot will close at 7:00 p.m. local time (1300 GMT), and the commission is expected to announce the preliminary results around midnight Sunday.

According to the country's law, a candidate will be declared the outright winner if he garners more than 50 percent of the vote.

If none of the candidates receives a clear majority, the commission will call a second round for the two candidates, who have received most votes in the first round.