Voting underway in Iran presidential election with reports showing high turnout

Reports indicate a strong voter turnout in Iran's snap presidential election, prompted by the sudden loss of former President Ebrahim Raiesi in a tragic helicopter crash.

Voting commenced at 8 a.m. local time (0430 GMT) on Friday, with the polls scheduled to close at 6:00 p.m. (1430 GMT). The Interior Ministry may extend voting hours if deemed necessary.

According to the election headquarters, over 61 million individuals are eligible to participate in the election.

Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said, "Conducting elections within 40 days since the loss of former president Ebrahim Raeisi "demonstrates the robustness of the Islamic Republic’s structure."

He was addressing a committee that oversees the Iranian presidential election abroad.

"Safeguarding citizens’ votes is a fundamental responsibility, emphasized by the Leader [of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei] as Haq al-Nas (the right of the people)," Vahidi asserted.

"We all have a moral and legal duty to safeguard these votes, and thanks God, this has been accomplished effectively," Vahidi added.

Also, speaking to reporters on Friday, Siamak Rahpeyk, deputy head of the Guardian Council, said that the turnout for the election in the morning has been encouraging.

"We are optimistic that more people will participate in the election with enthusiasm."

Meanwhile, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, secretary of the Expediency Council, said that the country is "witnessing a high turnout" in the 14th presidential election.

"In a country where its establishment is based on the people's vote and will, it is people's right to participate in important issues, including the election of the top executive official because the country's fate for the next four years will be handed to him," he told reporters after casting his vote at Lorzadeh Mosque in Tehran.

Voting hours extended due to high turnout 

Mohsen Eslami, spokesperson for Iran's election headquarters, announced that the voting hours have been extended for two hours. 

Given the requests from polling stations from across the country, the voting will continue until 8:00 p.m. (1630 GMT) upon the directive of the Interior Minister, Eslami said. 

The country has set up 58,640 polling stations, predominantly in schools and mosques, to collect the nation's votes.

Preliminary results are anticipated by Saturday morning, with the final official count expected by Sunday.

In the event that no candidate secures a majority in Friday's vote, a runoff between the two leading candidates will be held on July 5.

The elected president will hold office for a term of four years.

The lead-up to the election did not present a definitive favorite. However, the race saw a shift when two candidates Amirhossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi and Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani withdrew from the race.

Remaining contenders include Saeed Jalili, a former nuclear negotiator; Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, the Parliament Speaker; Massoud Pezeshkian, a heart surgeon and parliamentarian from Tabriz; and Mostafa Pourmohammadi, a former interior minister.

Meanwhile, the Interior Ministry has also called on all eligible voters to participate in the election.

"By participating responsibly and wisely in the presidential elections, we can ensure the continued authority, advancement, and excellence of Islamic Iran," the ministry wrote in a short statement on Friday.

The ministry highlighted that only four candidates are running for the president as two other contenders withdrew from the race.

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