 An exit poll conducted by an American non-profit group found that interim Afghan president Hamid Karzai won Saturday's first-ever presidential election with the outright majority needed to avoid a second round. The survey by the International Republican Institute, which seeks to promote democracy abroad, found Karzai ahead of second place finisher Yunus Qanooni by 43 percentage points. The group would not give specific vote totals for either man, nor did it release supporting data. But it said that Karzai was well over the 50 percent mark necessary to avoid a runoff. |