2024 Iranian Presidential Election Runoff: Polls Now Open as Iranians Head to Vote

By Staff, Agencies

Iranians are voting in the presidential election runoff, following last week's snap election where no candidate secured a majority.

Polling stations opened at 8 a.m. local time [0430 GMT] on Friday and are set to close at 6 p.m. [1430 GMT], with possible extensions by the Interior Ministry. The final results are expected on Saturday, though initial figures might be released sooner.

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution His Eminence Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenei cast his ballot at a Tehran polling station as voting commenced.

The runoff election comes after the June 28 election, in which Masoud Pezeshkian and Saeed Jalili emerged as frontrunners without securing an outright majority. Pezeshkian, a former health minister and legislator from Tabriz, and Jalili, an experienced diplomat and chief nuclear negotiator, are the main contenders.

More than 24 million people participated in the June 28 election, which seeks to elect a successor to President Ebrahim Raisi, who tragically passed away in a helicopter crash on May 19.

Mohsen Eslami, spokesperson for the national election headquarters, stated on Thursday that the number of polling stations remains at 58,640, with possible adjustments in certain districts. Preliminary results could be announced as early as Saturday morning. A total of 61 million individuals are eligible to vote, according to the election headquarters.