Azernews.Az

Voters in Iran cast their ballots for president across the country on Friday, selecting among four hopefuls in the closely-fought election.
Incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a conservative, is seeking a second term in office. Ahmadinejad faces a strong challenge from ethnic Azerbaijani former prime minister, reformist Mir Hossein Mousavi, while former parliament speaker Mehdi Karroubi and former chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards, conservative Mohsen Razai are trailing the two main contenders. If no candidate gets 50% in the first round, the two front-runners will face a run-off vote on June 19.
The Iranian electoral body had aimed to extend polling by four hours to the 10 p.m. deadline due to a record turnout, which amounted to about 46 million people in the country of 70 million. Preliminary tallies will, most likely, be announced on Saturday morning.
Iran`s 10th presidential election is monitored by 50,000 observers. 200,000 police officers are in charge of safety during the polling.
Under the existing tradition, the country`s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei voted early in the day. The clerical leader called on Iranians to exercise their right to choose the country`s next president.
"I recommend them to just vote based on their own views and decisions," Ayatollah Khamenei said as he voted. "God willing, the best and the most deserving person will be elected as the head of the executive body for a four-year period."
In an interview with journalists, he called for observance of law and order. "Any tension could harm the people and their votes. Voters should cast their ballots patiently and without disrupting order."
President Ahmadinejad thanked the people of Iran "for their goodness, for their greatness, for their selflessness, their sacrifices, and for their forgiveness."
Mir Hossein Mousavi voted in the morning hours as well. In a briefing afterwards, he opined that the authorities are trying to steal votes from him. For instance, observers are being prevented by the police from entering polling stations, he said, calling on his voters to be more attentive.
Public opinion polls conducted just before the polling started revealed that Mousavi enjoys wide public approval. The candidate, who hails from a village in South Azerbaijan (northern Iran), said appealing to the Azerbaijanis, Turkmans, Lors and Arabs living in the country that they are part of Iran`s multinational family and sought their backing as the nation headed to the polls.
"God willing, with the nationwide participation of the public, we will see better and more beautiful days," Mousavi added.
Iran is home to about 30 million Azerbaijanis, or 40% of the country`s population, which is predominantly Persian.
Iranians living abroad are able to vote in 130 countries, including Azerbaijan. Some 1,000 citizens of Iran have suffrage in Azerbaijan. They cast their ballots at a polling station set up at the Iranian consulate in Baku.
Mahammad Bagir Bahrami, Iran`s Ambassador to Azerbaijan, says Friday`s election will be a major turning point in the country`s history. He pointed out that Iranian voters residing in the neighboring country have become more active in comparison with the previous elections.
There has been a surge of interest recently in Iran`s presidential election, with unprecedented live television debates between the candidates and rallies attended by thousands.
Iran is ruled under a system known as Velayat-e Faqih, or "Rule by the Supreme Jurist", who is currently Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. It was adopted by an overwhelming majority in 1979 following the Islamic revolution which overthrew the autocratic Western-backed Shah.
But the Constitution also stipulates that the people are the source of power and the country holds phased presidential and parliamentary elections every four years.
All candidates are vetted by the powerful conservative-controlled Guardian Council, which also has the power to veto legislation it deems inconsistent with revolutionary principles.