Former first lady Xiomara Castro could be the country's first female president as she holds a nearly 20-point lead over the ruling party's candidate, according to the initial results.
Pro-reform President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who took power in late 2016, is expected to secure a second term.
Results from 15 of the country's 156 constituencies gave opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema 171,604 votes versus the 110,178 garnered by President Edgar Lungu, who is running for a second five-year term.
Partial and regional tallies start to trickle in on Friday, with final consolidated results expected by Sunday, although President Edgar Lungu's party hints it is heading for victory.
Political tensions remain high in Peru following the June 6 election in which socialist Pedro Castillo declared himself the winner. But his rival conservative Keiko Fujimori has levelled accusations of election fraud.
Interior Minister Aboldreza Rahmani Fazli says Raisi has been elected president with 61.95 percent of the vote as voter turnout was 48.8 percent, a record low for a presidential election in the country.
Conservative lawmaker Alireza Zakani, reformist Mohsen Mehralizadeh and ultraconservative Saeed Jalili, have withdrawn from Iran’s presidential race on the last day of campaigning, leaving only four contenders for Friday’s vote.
Attempts to portray the performative elections as otherwise look foolish, and won’t convince the public.
The election is widely expected to keep regime leader Bashar al Assad in power for fourth seven-year term. It is unclear whether any candidates will run against him but any such runs would be symbolic.
New head of state was to be chosen by new legislators whose selection was delayed after opponents accused the president of packing regional and national elections boards with his supporters.
Result of the vote, held less than one year before presidential election, is in stark contrast to last year's parliamentary elections when the Democratic Party enjoyed a sweeping victory that gave it a super-majority in the National Assembly.
President Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Republic of Congo has been in power for 36 years, and is likely to continue his rule despite being challenged by six opponents.
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