Third-place candidate, former planning minister Ramazan Bashardost, has garnered 12.5 percent of the vote, a one-percent decline since the last partial results announced Saturday, in which Karzai got 46.3 percent of the vote, compared to 31.4 percent obtained by Abdullah.

Should the leader of the race not reach an absolute majority, a second round of voting will take place in October between the first-and second-place candidates. A preliminary result is expected next week, but an official result will not be available before mid-September.