Abdullah leads in Afghan presidential vote --- (Reuters) - Former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah has opened a lead in the Afghan presidential race, the latest official tally of votes released on Sunday showed, although half of the votes have yet to be counted. -- Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission said initial results based on almost 50 percent of the vote out of 34 provinces showed Abdullah in the lead with 44.4 percent, followed by ex-world bank official Ashraf Ghani with 33.2 percent of the votes it said were not fraudulent. -- "These statistics that we shared with you are partial and are changeable," Ahmad Yusuf Nuristani, chairman of the election commission, told a news conference on Sunday. -- To win, a candidate must secure more than 50 percent of valid ballots. Failing that, the top two candidates go into a run-off. Final results are due on May 14, and a run-off, if needed will take place in late May. -- A run-off is seen as a risky proposition in Afghanistan, given high security concerns, the prospect of a low turnout and the cost - the bill for the first round was put at more than $100 million. - More, at: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/20/us-afghanistan-election-idUSBREA3J0B720140420