Politics Religious leader Khamenei opens presidential election in Iran

Iran's religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has opened the presidential election in Iran. The head of state cast his traditional vote on Friday in a high-security zone in the center of the capital Tehran. In a short speech, he called on the nation to participate actively. In order to "prove the correctness and honesty of the system of the Islamic Republic", the presence of the people was "necessary and indispensable", Khamenei told reporters after casting his vote.

Around 61 million voters in the Islamic Republic are called upon to elect a new head of government. Polling stations are open from 8.00 am to 6.00 pm local time (6.30 am to 4.30 pm CEST) with the possibility of an extension. The first results are expected on Saturday. The election follows the death of incumbent Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash on May 19.

The so-called Guardian Council, a powerful Islamic supervisory body, had only approved six candidates for the election. However, two candidates withdrew. The so-called fundamentalists - loyal and arch-conservative supporters of the system - are the most strongly represented. Among them, there is a power struggle between the incumbent parliamentary speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf and the hardliner Said Jalili. The most important challenger is the moderate politician Massud Peseschkian.