Real Madrid current president Lorenzo Sanz is expected to edge his challenger Florentino Perez and win the presidential vote according to exit polls carried out by the sports daily Marca.
Sanz was heading the race by midday (1015 GMT) with 56.7 percent of votes against 43.3 percent for Perez, in what looks like a tightly fought battle.
Real Madrid's website calculated that 8.69 percent of club members had voted by midday.
The elections were called by Sanz on June 16th, even though his five-year mandate does not expire until June 2001.
The two candidates fought a tough campaign exchanging a wide range of insults and accusations in the highly meditated battle.
Using the slogan "Promises made Reality" the 56-year-old Sanz, a property developer, called on voters to judge him on his record, which include two European Cup titles.
While 53-year-old Perez, who is in the construction business and failed in his previous bid in 1996, has focused on the club's financial record and promised to wipe out the crippling 43 billion pesetas ($242m) debt with a five-year plan.
The final day's electioneering saw Sanz accuse his opponent of vote-buying and having no experience in the world of football.
Perez accused Sanz of calling a snap election to ensure that there were no opponents and depriving club members of having their say in the future of the club – (AFP)
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
