Turnout high in Iran’s presidential poll

TEHRAN,June 15(MNA) – Iranians went to the polls in large numbers on Friday to cast their ballots in a presidential election that was mainly a contest between centrist and principlist candidates. The six men competing to succeed incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad were centrist candidates Hassan Rohani and Mohsen Rezaei, principlist candidates Ali Akbar Velayati, Saeed Jalili, and Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, and independent candidate Mohammad Gharazi. Ahmadinejad was constitutionally barred from running for a third four-year term. Two other candidates -- pro-reformist Mohammad Reza Aref and principlist Gholam Ali Haddad-Adel -- had been approved by Iran’s top electoral supervisory body, the Guardian Council, but later dropped out of the race. Polling stations opened at 8 a.m. and were scheduled to close at 6 p.m. However, the voting was extended at a number of polling stations to accommodate voters who were in line at closing time. According to the Interior Ministry, 50,483,192 people were eligible to vote on Friday. Voter turnout was reported to be high. The results of the election, which many political analysts believe will go to a run-off, are expected to be announced on Saturday. In the Iranian system, if no candidate receives 50 percent of the vote, the two top candidates must face off in a run-off election a week later. According to the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, 455 foreign reporters representing 205 media outlets from 40 countries covered the election. In Western Iran, the borders of Ilam, Kermanshah, and West Azarbaijan provinces with neighboring countries were closed to maintain security on election day. Leader dismisses U.S. criticism of Iran’s election Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei cast his ballot shortly after the polls opened and asked the people to turn out in large numbers for the election, saying, “They should know that the destiny of the country is in their hands, and the happiness of the country depends on their choice.” He also dismissed doubts raised by the United States about the legitimacy of the election, stating, “I recently heard that (a U.S. official)… said, ‘We do not accept this election in Iran.’ Well, we do not give a damn.” According to Reuters, on May 24 U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called into question the credibility of Iran’s presidential election, criticizing the disqualification of candidates and accusing Tehran of disrupting internet access. Senior officials cast their ballots On Friday, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani, Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani, and other senior officials voted and expressed hope that the people would vote in large numbers to elect a competent president. After casting his ballot, former moderate president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who currently serves as the chairman of the Expediency Council, said, “We pray that the election result will lead to national cohesion because national cohesion is a requirement for success against foreign and domestic threats and will pave the way for the resolution of problems, with the help of the people.” Rafsanjani, who had previously said that he would vote for Rohani, was prevented from running in the election by the Guardian Council, which did not approve his qualifications to be a candidate. Former president Mohammad Khatami, who also endorsed Rohani, said, “God willing, all the candidates, whether they are defeated or emerge victorious, will serve Islam and (work for) the progress of the country.” The six approved candidates also cast their ballots, and all said they would respect the people’s choice. Iran’s fourth city and village council elections were held on the same day as the presidential election.