(Kabul) – Afghanistan’s presidential election is set for a second-round vote, preliminary results showed, as opposition leader Abdullah Abdullah and former academic Ashraf Ghani both failed to secure a decisive victory. “Based on our results, it appears that the election goes to the second round,” Ahmad Yusuf Nuristani, head of the Independent Election Commission, told a press conference in Kabul.
Abdullah, a former foreign minister, secured 44.9 percent of the vote, with his main rival Ghani on 31.5 percent, according to the preliminary results.
The final official result is set to be announced on May 14 after a period for adjudication of hundreds of complaints over alleged fraud. As no candidate gained more than 50 percent, a run-off between the two leading names is required under the Afghan constitution.