Voting begins for the 14th Presidential Election in Iran

Voting for the 14th Presidential Election in Iran began at 08:00 local time.

Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei cast his vote at a ballot box set up in the hall at the Imam Khomeini Hosseiniyeh, where he holds his receptions in Tehran.

According to data from the Ministry of Interior's Election Headquarters, in a country with a population of 88 million, approximately 62 million voters will be able to cast their ballots at more than 59 thousand polling stations.

Additionally, Iranian citizens abroad will be able to head to the polls at election centers established in 95 countries.

The voting process, which began at 08:00 local time, will end at 18:00, though this period may be extended by the decision of the Election Headquarters under the Ministry of Interior if necessary.

The candidates competing in the election are reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian, and conservative candidates Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, former Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Saeed Jalili, and former Interior Minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi.

Conservative candidates Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani and Amir-Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi withdrew from the race hours before the election "to ensure unity in the conservative camp."

Candidates must receive 50%+1 of the vote to be elected in the first round.

If no candidate exceeds 50%+1 in the first round, the two candidates with the most votes will advance to a runoff, and the winner of the second round to be held on July 5 will become the country's 9th president.

Initial data on the election results are expected to be released at midnight, with final results expected to be announced tomorrow.

In Iran, the president serves a 4-year term and can be elected for a maximum of 2 consecutive terms.

REFORMIST CANDIDATE PEZESHKIAN LEADS IN POLLS

According to a public opinion poll conducted face-to-face with 3,589 people nationwide on June 26 by the Iranian Students Polling Agency (ISPA), Pezeshkian leads the race with 33.1%, followed by Jalili in second place with 28.8%, while other conservative candidate Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf took third place with 19.1%.

According to the polls, Pezeshkian appears to have a higher vote share compared to other candidates in regions with high populations of ethnic Turkic, Kurdish, and Baluch citizens.

News Source: AA