Polls close in Iran’s 2021 presidential election after 19 hours of voting
Polls have closed in Iran’s 2021 presidential election after 19 hours of voting nationwide and in various foreign countries.
Voting stopped at 02:00 am local time on Saturday (June 19), 19 hours after they opened across the country at 07:00 am on Friday, June 18.
Any voters happening to still be inside polling stations and waiting to cast their vote will be able to do so, however.
Polling was extended several times to accommodate incoming voters and to observe health protocols amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Vote counting has begun. And the Interior Ministry is expected to start announcing election results gradually as ballots are counted.
Over 59.3 million Iranians were eligible to vote for one of four presidential candidates. Here are brief profiles of each.
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei cast his ballot early on.
‘Today is Iranian nation’s day’
“Election Day is the day of the Iranian nation. Today, people are in charge,” Ayatollah Khamenei said after casting his vote. “Even one single vote counts. No one should say ‘What will my one vote do?’ These one votes become millions when combined.”
Senior Iranian officials, including the heads of the three branches of government, also cast their votes at polling states in the capital, Tehran.
‘World watching Iran’
Addressing the people after casting his vote, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Iran was among a few countries in the world whose elections attract international attention.
He said, “People should be mindful that the whole world is today focused on the ballot boxes and the people’s queues to cast their votes. God willing, we will act in a way that it will make our friends across the world happy and frustrate enemies.”
Officials have stressed that health protocols will be strictly observed in all polling stations amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Over 59 million Iranians are eligible to vote at more than 72,000 polling stations set up countrywide, according to the figures released by election officials. Around 3,500,000 Iranian expatriates are also eligible to join the vote in 234 polling stations set up by the country’s diplomatic missions in various world countries.
City council, midterm parliamentary, and Assembly of Experts elections are being held simultaneously with the presidential vote.
Kadkhodaee to Press TV: Disruption in e-ID systems quickly dealt with
In an interview with Press TV, Abbas-Ali Kadkhodaee, spokesman of Iran’s Constitutional Council, said no irregularities have so far been reported in the voting process, “except for a delay in the start of the voting process at some polling stations due to a disruption in the ID system.”
“Through cooperation with colleagues at the Interior Ministry, the problem was resolved very quickly,” he said. “It was, however, decided that in case of any delay in the systems causing hardships for the people, the organizers and supervisors must make efforts to do the job manually and prevent any problems.”
Kaskhodaee said officials with the Constitutional Council — which oversees elections — are closely monitoring the voting process online.
Press TV is providing live updates on the election here.
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