The ruling Saenuri Party wrapped up its primary election Sunday with a lower than expected voter turnout.

The poll closed at 6 p.m. with an estimated voter turnout of 41.2 percent, according to the National Election Commission, which oversaw the primary election.

The party has a little over 200,000 members eligible to vote but only about 82,000 cast ballots in the poll that began earlier in the day at 251 different stations across the country. The turnout falls far short of 70.8 percent in the party's primary ahead of the 2007 presidential election.

Observers said such a low turnout was apparently because former party chief Rep. Park Geun-hye maintained a solid lead from the beginning of the primary race while heavy rains in some parts of the country also discouraged people from voting.

Four other hopefuls are running in the Saenuri's presidential primary. They are Yim Tae-hee, the former chief of staff to President Lee Myung-bak; Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Moon-soo; former South Gyeongsang Province Governor Kim Tae-ho; and former Incheon Mayor Ahn Sang-soo.

The party is expected to officially name its presidential nominee at a national convention on Monday. (Yonhap News)