The turnout on the first day of early voting ahead of the June 3 presidential election reached an all-time high of 19-point-58 percent since the system was first introduced in 2014.

According to the National Election Commission(NEC) on Thursday, eight-point-69 million out of 44-point-39 million voters cast their ballots between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Thursday's turnout of 19-point-58 percent is higher than 17-point-57 percent from the first day of early voting in the previous 2022 presidential election.

Seven-point-77 million people had cast their ballot on the first day of early voting three years ago.

Should the participation rate on the second day, Friday, reach a similar level, the two-day early voting rate is expected to surpass the current record of 36-point-93 percent set in 2022.