Iranian citizens inside and outside the country headed to polling stations to cast their ballots to elect the next president in the election runoff on Friday.
Polling stations opened at 8 a.m. local time (0430 GMT) on Friday and were scheduled to close at 6:00 p.m. (1430 GMT) but the Interior Ministry announced that the voting hours were extended for two more hours until 8 PM. There was the possibility of more extensions until midnight like the first round of votes.
Mohsen Eslami, the spokesperson for the national election headquarters, told reporters in a briefing at around 3:00 p.m. Tehran local time that people's participation has increased in comparison with the first round.
In an update on the turnout, Eslami said that by 5 p.m., over 14 million people had cast their ballots in the runoff, two million more than in the first round.
The voting process is going smoothly at more than 58,000 polling stations across the country, the Interior Ministry's officials have said.
The following are the latest updates about the voting process in the runoff:
Unofficial statistics show more than 31 million people have cast ballots:
Local Iranian media including Fars News and Tasnim News agencies have reported that over 30 million Iranians have cast their ballots. As many as 61 million Iranian citizens were announced to be eligible to vote. So, the turnut rate could have topped 50%.
Polling day runs 'smoothly'; election 'well-organized': Interior minister
Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi says the voting process in Iran’s run-off presidential election has been running smoothly.
“So far, reports have pointed to taking place of an orderly election amid complete security,” he said on Friday, according to Press TV.
“We hope to get to bear witness to the same [level of] order and security throughout the country until the end of the voting process, vote counting, and announcement of the elected president,” the minister stated.
“All these [national] missions were conducted amid a complete and very worthwhile state of security, which was commended by the people and Leader [of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei.”
The run-off is underway between Saeed Jalili, a former lead nuclear negotiator and head of the country’s top security body, and Masoud Pezeshkian, an ex-health minister, following an inconclusive first round last Friday.
Iranians in US stage ‘very good’ voter participation despite obstacles: Diplomat:
An Iranian diplomat says the United States-based Iranians have been staging a “very good” electoral participation in the Islamic Republic’s runoff presidential vote, despite some obstructive efforts on the part of anti-revolutionary elements.
Abolfazl Mehrabadi, director of Tehran's interests section at the Pakistani Embassy in Washington, made the remarks on Friday, according to Press TV.
“There is much verve and enthusiasm among [our] compatriots [here],” he said, describing the manner of Iranians’ contribution to the electoral process, adding, “Matters are proceeding in the best possible way.”
Iran’s US-based diplomats have been trying to have as many as 31 polling stations running for the Iranian electorate across the country, Mehrabadi, meanwhile, noted.
The run-off is underway between Saeed Jalili, a former lead nuclear negotiator and head of the country’s top security body, and Masoud Pezeshkian, an ex-health minister, following an inconclusive first round last Friday.
Expats turnout 20% higher than previous first round:
The spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry says the participation of Iranian nationals living abroad in the presidential election runoff has increased compared to the first round.
Turnout rate exceeds 47%:
Unofficial statistics show that the turnout rate surpassed 47% by 10:30 p.m. as the voting was continuing for another one and a half hour until 12 p.m..
Turnout rate exceeds 42.5%:
By 9:00 po.m., the number of votes was 26,230,531, which is equivalent to a 42.5% turnout rate, Eslami, the spokesman for the election headquarters said.
Voting hours extended for third time:
The voting hours in the presidential election runoff were extended for a third time until 12 midnight, an announcement by the elections headquarters said at 10 p.m..
Turnout rate in runoff exceeds first round, stands above 40% by 8 p.m.:
A total of 24,535,185 people turned out to vote at the polling stations in the first round of presidential elections, but in the runoff that rate was higher by 8:25 p.m..
More and more people are heading to the polling stations after the sunset in the cooler temperatures.
Voting hours extended to 10 p.m.
The Iranian elections headquarters sokesman Mohsen Eslami said that the voting hours in runoff elections were extended for the second time for two more hours until 10 p.m.
Two candidates says representatives report no issues at the polling stations.
Representatives for both Saeed Jalili and Masoud Pezeshkian told local Iranian TV that there were no issues at the polling stations.
Iranians are queuing in Frankfort to cast their votes
The video footage shows Iranian expatriates in the German city of Frankfort standing in a line to cast their votes in Iran's presidential elections runoff on Friday.
Mehr correspondent reports more people turned out to vote at Tehran's Lorzadeh Mosque:
Mehr reporter reported from Lorzadeh Mosque in southeast Tehran (near Khorasan Roundabout) that as voting hours were extended for two more hours after 6 PM Tehran Local Time, more people were standing in lines to cast their ballots.
MNA/