BERLIN, Oct 3, SPA-- Interim Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on Sunday he hoped for a first round victory in the country's first presidential election on Oct. 9, saying it would be very costly to hold a runoff. Karzai is expected to receive the most votes in the first round, but it is unclear if he will muster the 51 percent needed for an outright win. If no one gets a majority, the top two candidates will contest a runoff in November. "I hope for good reasons that the elections will not go to a second round, because it will be very expensive for us to have a second round and will be easier to have the results at the first round," Karzai told reporters after talks with German Foreign Minster Joshka Fischer. "Legitimacy will increase tremendously after the (presidential) election," he added. Karzai is one of 18 candidates in the election, but has barely campaigned because of security constraints. His main challenger is seen as Yunus Qanuni, a Tajik, from northeastern Afghanistan. Karzai was in Berlin to collect a "Quadriga" prize -- named after the horses on top of the Brandenburg gate -- from a German group that awards individuals it judges to have made an outstanding contribution to their communities. German Gerhard Schroeder, who is due to visit Afghanistan two days after the Oct. 9 election, was expected to meet Karzai at the ceremony. --SPA 2209 Local Time 1909 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/207728