Voting begins in Afghanistan's presidential election run-off

Reuters
Afghan men lead a donkey, loaded with ballot boxes and other election material to be transported to polling stations which are not accessible by road, in Shutul, Panjshir province,June 13, 2014. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani

KABUL (Reuters) - The final round in Afghanistan's presidential election began at 7 a.m. (0230 GMT) on Saturday as voters headed for the polls to pick a successor to President Hamid Karzai who has been in power since the U.S.-led invasion ousted the Taliban in 2001. The vote pits former anti-Taliban fighter Abdullah Abdullah against ex-World Bank economist Ashraf Ghani after neither secured the 50 percent majority needed to win outright in the first round on April 5. (Reporting by Jessica Donati; Editing by Robert Birsel)