Turkey got 33 votes and Sao Paulo is out with 13 votes.

The UAE now goes into the second round with three nations taking part.

They got a big lead in the first round with a percentage of 47.24 votes.

7.02pm: Dubai has 77 first-round votes, putting it through to the second round. Sao Paolo has been eliminated in the first round.

6.58pm: 163 nations have turned up so far. This is getting to be a good showing and obviously useful for the UAE.

6.51pm: 160 nations have now voted, more than the 155 they were expecting to turn up. The maximum expected is 168... 

6.50pm: Voting has crossed past the 125 vote mark...the first round is going to end soon and votes will be compiled per country.

The order of voting is as follows

1. Brazil/Sao Paolo

2. Russia/Ekaterinburg

3. Turkey/Izmir

4. UAE/Dubai

5. Abstentions

6.43pm: Janice Ponce de Leon, live at Dubai Mall:

Crowds have started to gather outside Dubai Mall just below The Address Hotel to watch the announcement of the winning host city through live TV coverage from Paris. 

Mall security has been beefed up at the mall entrance to ensure smooth flow of visitors.

Expatriates working at the mall spent their breaks at the viewing area, with the Burj Khalifa as the backdrop.

Geralyn Rumpf, who works in a cafe at Dubai Mall, is confident Dubai will win. She told Gulf News she believes the hospitality sector has a lot to gain from a successful Expo bid.

"There will be more investments, more tourists, and we at the hospitality sector will directly benefit," Rumpf said.

6.39pm: The first round of voting has just past the 100 vote mark. More than half the votes have been cast and the tension in the room seems to be slowly building. Delegates are trying their best to keep their cool, some are breaking out in a sweat.

6.36pm: A total of 95 nations have voted so far with the representative of one country failing to operate the voting machine properly. This means that one vote has been lost and for some country it could prove to be extremely crucial.

6.21pm: UAE has cast its vote with Reem Al Hashemi doing the honours. 26 nations have voted so far...

6.10pm: And so the first round of voting to determine the initial winners of the Expo 2020 has begun.

The proceedings started late. They are expected to finish by 6pm Paris time. This means approximately 9pm UAE time.

The results according to sources will be made by announcement and not through intermediaries.

Gulf News is working alongside a group of reporters from Russia, who are covering Ekataringburg’s bid for 2020, and they seem to be awe struck by Dubai’s bid and the emirates itself.

’’It seems as if Dubai is already an Expo and is ready to host the event tomorrow,’’ one of the Russians remarked.

5.56pm: Voting is underway in Paris. Reem Al Hashmi and two other members of the UAE delegation are allowed to attend the voting. It’s a behind-closed-doors, secret ballot. Results of the first round expected at 6.30pm.

5.47pm: Reporter Janice Ponce de Leon is at Dubai Mall:

Visitors at the Dubai Mall got a chance to witness Dubai’s final presentation for the World Expo 2020 in Paris through a televised feed projected in one section the mall on Wednesday afternoon.

Mall goers and tourists sat patiently as the Dubai Expo Bid committee, through UAE Minister of State Reem Al Hashemi, presented its case to the 168 member nations of the Bureau International des Expositions to win the rights to host the World Expo in 2020.

Abdulla Silim from Toronto, Canada came to the Dubai Mall with his family to be part of the celebrations if Dubai wins.

"That’s precisely why we’re here. We’re travelling on holiday to Malaysia but we decided to stop over to Dubai to celebrate the National Day and the Expo 2020, should Dubai win," Silim told Gulf News.

"I think Dubai deserves to win the bid. It’s the most welcoming city plus it’s the transit point between east and west. So the world can celebrate together here," he added.

Mohammad Al Ahmad, who attended a conference in Dubai, said he is rooting for the city to win.

"I’ll be very happy if Dubai wins because it’s part of GCC. I expect it to win because it’s a peaceful city and its people are from different cultures," the Bahraini engineer said.