Rivals claim victory in Afghan poll

On Thursday millions of Afghans defied militant attacks to cast ballots.

The first official returns are not expected until at least Saturday, but campaign teams for President Hamid Karzai and rival Abdullah Abdullah conducted informal counts and posted numbers at campaign headquarters.

Mr Abdullah's unofficial returns showed him beating Mr Karzai, but the returns did not include any numbers from Afghanistan's south and east, where Mr Karzai is expected to win a large majority.

Across town, Mr Karzai's campaign team said the president had won more than 50% of the nation's vote, a result that would mean a two-man run-off was not necessary.

Seddiq Seddiqi, a spokesman for Mr Karzai's campaign, said initial returns showed the Karzai camp was winning. "We believe that he will have over 50% of the vote," said Seddiqi. "That is what we believe based on our initial findings."

Each campaign was clearly trying to win the early expectations game, and officials with the country's Independent Election Commission said it was too early for any campaign to claim victory. "What Karzai's office is claiming is not correct. The result is in front of you. You can see Abdullah is ahead with 62% and Karzai has 31%," said Abdullah spokesman Sayyid Agha Hussain Fazel Sancharaki.

As candidates set expectations in the capital, election workers around the country counted votes. International observers called for calm during the precarious wait for results of the country's second presidential poll since Taliban rule. While initial returns were expected Saturday or Sunday, final official results were not to be announced until early September.

Millions of Afghans defied threats to cast ballots, but turnout appeared weaker than the previous vote in 2004 because of violence, fear and disenchantment. At least 26 people were killed in election-related violence, fewer than had been feared. But in much of the Taliban's southern strongholds, many people did not dare to vote, bolstering the hopes of Abdullah.

A top election official, Zekria Barakzai, estimated 40% to 50% of the country's 15 million registered voters cast ballots - far lower than the 70% who voted in the presidential election in 2004.