British voters head to polls for local, mayoral elections

British voters across the country were flocking to the polls on Thursday in a combination of local and mayoral elections dubbed as "Super Thursday."

Elections were being held for English local councils, the Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, and the Northern Ireland Assembly.

New mayors were also to be elected in London, Bristol, Liverpool and Salford on Thursday.

In England, more than 2,700 seats were up for grabs in 124 local councils, while the 129 seats of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) were to be contested for a new term.

In Wales, voters were electing their 60 Assembly Members, while those in Northern Ireland would cast their ballots to select 108 Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Nearly 40 areas in England and Wales were also choosing new Police and Crime Commissioners. Parliamentary by-elections were being held for the constituencies of Ogmore, as well as Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough.

Voting would be taking place from 7:00 a.m.(0600 GMT) to 10:00 p.m. local time(2100 GMT) on Thursday, with the majority of results declared on Friday.

Polling analysts said Thursday's elections represented the biggest test of political opinion since Britain's general elections last year.

Source: XINHUA