Abdullah, Ghani Lead Afghan Presidential Race

Abdullah Abdullah leads the race to become Afghanistan's next president, with Ashraf Ghani in the second place. The country’s Independent Election Commission today released the preliminary results based on nearly 50 percent of the vote nationwide, showing Abdullah at 44.4 percent and Ghani at 33.2 percent. (Reuters, 20 April)

Karzai’s favorite candidate, Zalmay Rassoul, is in distant third at 10.4 percent.

The second round of election would be held by 28 May between the two front-runners if no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the votes in the first round, which is exceedingly likely given the unexpectedly strong showing by Ashraf Ghani.

Photo: Afghan presidential election front-runners: Abdullah Abdullah (left) and Ashraf Ghani. (Reuters)