The country’s electoral body CENI announced preliminary results on Friday, accounting for about 95 percent of the polling stations.
The results showed Andry Rajoelina to be in the lead with 39.4 percent, ahead of Marc Ravalomanana who had 34.8 percent.
The most recent president, Hery Rajaonarimampianina, was far behind with 8.9 percent of the votes counted.
For an outright win, presidential candidate need to obtain 50 percent plus one vote. If no one manages that figure then a run-off between the top two candidates is conducted, where the winner is determined by a simple majority.
The November 7 election attracted a record 36 candidates, three more than the previous record of 33 set in the 2013 vote.
