Afghan president Hamid Karzai has won the first-ever presidential election with the outright majority needed to avoid a second round, according to an independent exit poll.
The survey by the US International Republican Institute, a non-profit group that seeks to promote democracy abroad, found Mr Karzai ahead of second place finisher Mr Yunus Qanooni by 43 per cent.
The group would not give specific vote totals for either man, nor did it release supporting data. But it said that Mr Karzai was well over the 50 per cent mark necessary to avoid a run-off.
The group, which also sent a 13 member observer team to monitor the election, is closely tied to the Republican Party but not directly affiliated with it.
The exit poll may offer the only indication for some time of who might have won. Electoral officials say they won't start counting actual ballots for several days, and that a final result may not be in until October 30th.
There were 18 candidates on the ballot, though two pulled out two days before the election.
The remaining 15 opposition candidates boycotted the vote, saying the ink used to mark people's thumbs and prevent them from voting twice was flawed. Several have since backed down, but the crisis remains unresolved.
International observers and the independent electoral commission have said the problem was not widespread and did not warrant a boycott.