Abdullah, Karzai tied in early results

KABUL, Afghanistan, Aug. 21 (UPI) -- Preliminary results for the presidential vote in Afghanistan show incumbent President Hamid Karzai tied with his former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah.

More than 3,000 candidates competed for the 420 seats on the provincial councils, while roughly 40 challengers emerged to unseat Karzai.

Karzai and Abdullah emerged Friday to declare rival victories. Preliminary results from the vote tally showed Karzai taking the majority of the votes in the southern and eastern provinces, while Abdullah secured his lead in many of the provinces north of Kabul, the Pajhwok Afghan News reports.

Karzai appeared set for a second term in office, though early results suggest the election may go to another round if neither leading candidate secures a clear majority.

Ashraf Ghani, a tenacious long shot and former finance minister, gained ground in recent days due to his popularity among younger voters taking second in Jalalabad, the provincial capital of Nangarhar.

Thousands of Afghan and international forces surged across the country in the months leading up to the vote to ensure security for the elections.

The vote Thursday was the second-ever presidential election in Afghanistan history, and the first conducted by Afghan election officials.

"Overall, Aug. 20, 2009, has been a good day for Afghanistan," said Kai Eide, the U.N. special envoy to Afghanistan.