Seoul, March 7 (IANS): South Korea's National Election Commission (NEC) on Monday decided to allow Covid-19 patients and those in quarantine to put their votes into ballot boxes themselves during the presidential election on Wednesday after an earlier move to collect their votes in unofficial containers sparked widespread complaints.

The election watchdog came under fire following revelations that Covid infected voters and people under self-isolation were not allowed to put their votes into ballot boxes and election officials instead collected them in plastic bags and other unofficial containers during early voting on March 5, reports Yonhap News Agency.

The indirect voting sparked suspicions of election rigging, but the NEC has flatly rejected such claims.

On Monday, the NEC held an emergency meeting to discuss the issue and decided to allow virus patients to put their votes into ballot boxes the same way as other voters in the March 9 election after regular polling closes.

Covid patients and those in quarantine can vote from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. after getting temporary leave permits from health authorities before going to the polls.

"Instead of handing their ballots to election officials from temporary polling booths, they can put their votes into ballot boxes themselves," the NEC said.

"If voting of regular voters does not end until 6 p.m., virus patients will wait at a separate location outside the polling station and can cast their votes after all regular voters leave the station."

Both Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) and Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) earlier slammed the NEC's poor voting operations, while President Moon Jae-in also expressed regret over the controversy.