The first round of Greece's municipal and regional elections ended Sunday with officials and common citizens expressing hope that the best candidates who will help the country heal the wounds of the four-year debt crisis will emerge as winners.

"I hope today with peoples' vote the best candidates will be elected," said Greek President Karolos Papoulias after casting his ballot, while stressing that "local officials always played an important role in Greece's difficult times."

Polls closed at 19:00 pm local time (1700 GMT) after 12 hours and the first results of exit polls are due to be released shortly, while the first official estimates are expected by midnight and the final results on Monday.

A total of 9.8 million Greeks had the right to cast their votes, choosing the new 10,000 local administration officials among 1,441 ballots for municipal and 105 ballots for regional councils in the 13 regions and 325 municipalities across the country.

The results are expected with great interest by political parties and analysts as an indication of voting patterns in the second round of local elections on May 25 which coincide with the polls for the European parliament.

The main opposition Radical Left SYRIZA party seeks to turn the double elections into a referendum on the government's economic policy two years after the general elections.

A poor performance of ruling conservative New Democracy (ND) and socialist PASOK party candidates could decide the future of the current coalition, commentators said.

Even though in local elections under the Constitution candidates run under independent electoral lists rather than under the umbrellas of political parties, most candidates have the clear support of parties. Subsequently, their performances score positive or negative points for the ruling or opposition parties.

Both ruling and opposition parties appeared confident about the outcome on Sunday.

"In a democratic manner and with unity we are exiting the crisis," Prime Minister Antonis Samaras said.

"This day is dedicated to local communities and local administration. I hope peoples' choices of mayors and regional governors will help growth, employment and better quality of services for citizens," Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos added.

On his part, SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras talked about the "upcoming change".

"I am certain that today a first, but important step will be taken so that municipalities and regions change authority, an important step so that Greece turns page," he said.

In the vast majority of races traditionally stability or change is revealed in the second round.

A ballot has to secure the 50 percent plus one vote majority of votes for the election of mayor or regional governor and in most cases there are no outright winners. The two leading candidates in each municipality and region qualify in the final round.

With half of Greece's population living in the capital and its suburbs, parties and analysts focused on the battles for the Mayor of the Municipality of Athens and Regional Governor of Attica.

Latest opinion surveys showed incumbent Mayor Yorgos Kaminis leading with 23 of votes with the support of centre-Left parties and liberals, followed by former tourism and education minister in ND governments Aris Spiliotopoulos and SYRIZA's candidate young economist Gavriil Sakellaridis ranking third.

"The future belongs to big cities...People are voting for the dignity of Athens," Kaminis said after casting his vote.

A few hours later his aides reported incidents of vandalisms against the list's offices by far-Right Golden Dawn (GD) supporters.

Elias Kassidiaris, the spokesman of the party which is under judicial crackdown over the past seven months after the murder of an anti-fascist activist from a GD supporter, ranks fourth in opinion polls, garnering about 12 percent of votes.

In the 2012 general elections, GD entered the parliament for first time winning 7 percent of votes, capitalizing on citizens' anger at austerity.

The local elections are a significant first electoral test for the party after the prosecution of almost all of its 18 MPs for participating in a criminal gang.

In the race for Regional Governor of Attica, incumbent Yannis Sgouros who won the previous 2010 elections with PASOK's backing, runs neck and neck with SYRIZA's candidate Rena Dourou, according to pollsters.

"Today is a great moment for local administration and democracy," Sgouros said on Sunday.

"Today is the day of voters, not candidates...I am optimistic about the result, because I gave a battle with great people by my side," said Dourou.

Voter Costas Tsigas, a tax office employee, made his choice for local administration officials after hard thinking, he told Xinhua upon his exit from a polling station in Athens.

"The main voting criterion today was stability in the country so that all the sacrifices we made in recent years will not be wasted," he said.

For Christina Bravakou Christina, a painter and candidate for a seat in the municipality of Psychiko, "the voting criterion should be choosing those who will help build a better, clean city which serves peoples' needs...This is our goal - to help for the better," she told Xinhua.