Iranians began voting on Friday in a closely-fought election which pits hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad against a former prime minister who sharply criticises his economic record and wants detente with the West.
Four candidates are standing in the poll but Ahmadinejad’s strongest challenger appears to be the moderate Mirhossein Mousavi, whose supporters have paraded through the capital Tehran in their thousands to demonstrate their backing.
The election outcome could help set the tone for Iran’s relations with the West, which is concerned about Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. A victory for Mousavi could increase the prospects for Western investment in the country, analysts say.
But for Iranians it is a chance to pass judgement on Ahmadinejad’s four years in office, particularly his management of the Islamic Republic’s oil exporting economy, which is suffering from high inflation and unemployment.
Voting started at 8am (3.30am GMT) and officials expect a high turnout from Iran’s 46-million eligible voters. Preliminary results are expected early on Saturday. If no clear winner emerges from Friday’s vote, a run-off will be held on June 19 between the two front-runners.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s top authority, urged people to turn out for the election as he cast his ballot.
”Everybody go and everybody vote and act based on their judgement,” Khamenei said in comments broadcast live on state television, urging people to do so early in the day.
Khamenei also warned of people who might seek to stir tension at polling stations. ”If some wanted to create such tension people should not let them,” he said.
State television, showing live footage of people queueing at a Tehran polling station, said a record turnout was expected.
‘Sheer lies’
Although Ahmadinejad says his government has revived economic growth and curbed price rises, the economy was the primary campaign issue. Official inflation is about 15%.
Social issues, such as strict dress codes for women and Iran’s ties with the outside world, also featured in the campaign but the outcome of the vote will not shift Iran’s foreign policy, which is determined by Khamenei.
The United States has had no ties with Iran since shortly after the 1979 Islamic revolution and remains the ”Great Satan” in the leadership’s demonology. US President Barack Obama has offered a new relationship if Tehran ”unclenches its fist”.
Mousavi rejects Western demands that Iran halt uranium enrichment but analysts say he would bring a different approach to Iran-US ties and Tehran’s nuclear programme, which the West fears is a cover to build bombs. Iran denies this.
The stand-off over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions has deterred Western investors in particular from doing business in Iran, which sits on the world’s second-largest oil and gas reserves.
Ahmadinejad’s opponents, who also include liberal cleric Mehdi Karoubi and former Revolutionary Guard leader Mohsen Rezaie, have urged the Interior Ministry and Khamenei to ensure there is no vote rigging.
”I have concerns … and we have prepared our forces to monitor the election,” Karoubi told Reuters on Thursday.
Ahmadinejad has ruled out any possibility of fraud and candidates’ representatives will be allowed to witness the vote at each of the 45 000 polling stations across the country.
Khamenei, who in the past has voiced support for Ahmadinejad’s government, said rumours spread via mobile phone text messages on the eve of the election and citing him were ”sheer lies”. He did not give details.
”Don’t pay attention to rumours,” he said. – Reuters