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Iran holds presidential elections

14 June 2013 07:53 (UTC +04:00)

APA reports that Iran's supreme religious leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei cast a vote in the polling station in Imam Khomeini Mosque in the first minutes.

Voting will last 10 hours and end at 6 pm, but it could be extended if necessary.

There are 50 483 192 eligible voters in Iran. 130 000 ballot boxes have been set up in 60 000 polling stations. Iranian citizens living abroad may cast ballots in 5 continents, 96 countries and 128 offices. 290 ballot boxes have been set up in this regard. Iranian citizens should submit their identification cards to vote. The polling stations have been set up at Iran’s Embassy in Baku for the Iranian voters.

421 journalists from 39 countries will light Iran's presidential elections. Under the election law, a presidential candidate must obtain more than 50 percent of the votes in the initial round to win outright. Otherwise, the two top candidates will face each other in a second round of voting on June 21.

There are now 6 candidates left in the race after two of them quitted. They include Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, former Iranian Foreign Minister and Supreme Leader's top advisor for international affairs Ali Akbar Velayati, Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Secretary and chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, former SNSC Secretary and chief nuclear negotiator Hassan Rouhani, former Oil and Telecommunication Minister Seyed Mohammad Qarazi, and former Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) and Secretary of the Expediency Council Mohsen Rezayee.