Polling stations opened on Friday for the second round of Iran’s presidential election, where reformist Masoud Pezeshkian faces off against hardliner Saeed Jalili.
This election is being held to find a successor to President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in May, as announced by the Ministry of Interior.
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, cast his vote as polling stations opened at 8:00 AM local time (04:30 GMT), according to footage broadcast by state television.
Iranians are heading to the polls to participate in the runoff election and decide between the candidates: reformist Masoud Pezeshkian and conservative Saeed Jalili.
Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi stated that his ministry “has made all necessary preparations for conducting the elections.”
Iran will begin counting votes immediately after the polls close, with the process expected to extend, especially given the extreme temperatures exceeding 50 degrees Celsius in southern regions.
Preliminary results are anticipated by early Saturday, with official results expected by Sunday.
Additionally, Mohsen Mansouri, head of Saeed Jalili’s campaign, revealed that an intelligence agency poll (which was not named) shows Jalili leading with 50.7% over Masoud Pezeshkian. Mansouri stated on the “X” platform:
“The most accurate forecasts have come from one of the intelligence agencies, which has accurately estimated the voter turnout and candidates’ votes.”
Last month, Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence arrested “elements” who were planning to carry out “terrorist” operations during the presidential elections, according to the Tasnim news agency.
The decision to hold early presidential elections followed the death of President Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and their accompanying team last month in a helicopter crash in the northwest of the country.
