Around 3.05 million people cast ballots for the general election under the early voting system in the five days after the official campaign started Aug. 18, a big jump from the 2.01 million ballots in the 2005 Lower House election, the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry said Monday.

The figure represents around 2.9 percent of eligible voters, and the total could eventually reach more than 13 million, up from 8.96 million in 2005, according to the ministry.

The increase could be a reflection of high public interest in the election, a ministry official said.