ULAN BATOR, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The difference in votes for the candidates in Mongolia's presidential election appears to be very small and there is a high possibility for the two front-runners to have a run-off, Mongolia's top election official said early Tuesday.
Speaking at a press conference at 00:30 am Ulan Bator time (1630 GMT), two and half hours after the poll closed, General Election Commission Chairman Choizon Sodnomtseren said that preliminary results showed that none of the three candidates appeared to have secured enough votes to win the presidency outright.
It is highly likely that a presidential runoff will be scheduled soon, he said, adding: "It is not yet clear when it will take place."
A total of 1,318,511 people cast their votes on Monday in the 7th presidential election of Mongolia. The turnout was 66.54 percent.
The three candidates contesting the presidential race are Miyegombyn Enkhbold from the ruling Mongolian People's Party, Battulga Khaltmaa from the opposition Democratic Party and Sainkhuu Ganbaatar from the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party.
The election commission has not yet announced the front-runners and the runner-up of Monday's poll, waiting for all the votes to be counted.
