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Iran begins voting for a new president

Dubai - State-linked opinion polling and analysts have put judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi as the dominant front-runner

Iran began voting Friday in a presidential election tipped in the favour of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Polls opened at 7 am local time for the vote.

State-linked opinion polling and analysts have put judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi as the dominant front-runner in a field of just four candidates. Former Central Bank chief, Abdolnasser Hemmati, is running as the race’s moderate candidate but hasn’t inspired the same support as Rouhani, who is term-limited from seeking the office again.

There are more than 59 million eligible voters among Iran’s more than 80 million people. However, the state-linked Iranian Student Polling Agency has estimated a turnout of just 42%, which would be the lowest ever since the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Khamenei cast the ceremonial first ballot in the election.