Abdullah took the lead with 45 percent of votes, followed by Ghani with 31.6 percent, the Independent Election Commission (IEC) said.
Former foreign minister Zalmai Rassoul, widely seen as incumbent President Hamid Karzai's favorite, finished a distant third with 11.4 percent, but has since joined Abdullah's camp. Karzai was constitutionally barred from standing for a third term. REUTERS