Results Force Runoff in Afghan Presidential Election --- KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghanistan’s Independent Election Commission announced the final results of the 2014 presidential election Thursday, making minor adjustments to its earlier estimates and calling for a runoff between the two top vote getters to determine the country’s next president. -- The commission set the runoff date for June 14, setting the stage for a new cycle of intense campaigning. -- “After reviewing the decision of the Electoral Complaint Commission, it became clear to us that none of the candidates secured 51 percent of the votes and the elections will go to a runoff,” said Mohammed Yousuf Nuristani, the chairman of the commission. -- The commission said the front-runner, Abdullah Abdullah, won 45 percent of the votes and that the second-highest vote-getter was Ashraf Ghani, with 31.6 percent. The third-ranking candidate was Zalmay Rassoul with 11.4 percent. Mr. Rassoul announced he would support Mr. Abdullah’s candidacy in the second round. -- Afghanistan has two electoral bodies: the Independent Electoral Commission, which oversees the conduct of elections and vote counting and the E.C.C., which adjudicates complaints. For a candidate to win in the first round outright, he must win 51 percent of the votes.-- “My request again of the brave and patriotic people of Afghanistan is to do as they did before, millions of them casting their votes, to go again and cast their votes,” Mr. Nuristani said. --- However, it is always difficult to predict how people will vote, and Afghans surprised leaders in the first round of voting, with many in Pashtun areas supporting Mr. Abdullah, while some of those viewed as likely to support him turned out for Mr. Ghani. - More, ALISSA J. RUBIN, NYTimes, http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/16/world/asia/afghanistan-presidential-elections.html?hp&_r=0