Voting begins for Iran presidential election, Leader calls for strong participation

Veteran lawmaker Massoud Pezeshkian who is also a heart surgeon by profession, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, former top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, and former interior and justice minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi are vying for the top executive office.

Iranians lined up from the early hours to vote in the 14th presidential election since the 1979 victory of the Islamic Revolution in the country.

Leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei was among the early voters who cast his ballot just as the voting got underway.

He urged strong turnout in the polls, saying, “In order to prove the health and sincerity of the Islamic Republic’s system, the presence of the people is necessary and obligatory.”

The Leader added the participation of the people will lead to the “durability, consistency, dignity and prestige” of the Islamic Republic in the world.

Over 64 million people are eligible to vote in the election, including about 10 million Iranians overseas.

Pezeshkian, Qalibaf, and Jalili are in a tight race, according to opinion polls.

The polling stations will close at 06:00 pm local time (14:30 GMT) but the interior ministry can extend it for multiple two-hour periods until 12:00 pm.

The head of the Election Headquarters Mohammad Taqi Shahcheraghi said the results of the election are expected to be announced by Saturday afternoon.