The authorities in Iran extended today's election day for the presidential vote in the country by two hours - until 20:00 local time (7:30 p.m. Bulgarian time), because of "the people who are still waiting to cast their vote," reported Reuters, quoted by BTA.
Iranian state television broadcast footage of long queues outside polling stations.
It often happens that voting in Iran continues until midnight, notes Reuters. The authorities said that the results of the presidential election will be announced tomorrow.
Earlier today, the supreme leader of Iran - Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, called for a high voter turnout.
According to the opponents of the power in Iran, the declining voter turnout in recent years shows that the legitimacy of the system of governance in the country is shaken, Reuters points out, recalling that only 48 percent of voters participated in the presidential elections in 2021, and the electoral turnout fell to a record low of 41 percent in the parliamentary elections in March this year.
Citizens of Iran are electing a president following the death in a helicopter crash of President Ebrahim Raisi late last month. Among the dead was the country's foreign minister, Hossein Amir Abdolakhian. There are four candidates in today's early presidential elections. All of them are from a group loyal to the supreme leader, according to Reuters.