Khamenei Protege, Sole Moderate Neck And Neck In Iran Presidential Race
NDTV
If no candidate wins at least 50% plus one vote from all ballots cast, including blank votes, a run-off between the top two candidates is held on the first Friday after the result is declared.
A low-key moderate and a protege of Iran's supreme leader are neck-and-neck in the vote count in snap presidential elections marked by voter apathy over economic hardships and social restrictions.
More than 14 million votes have been counted so far from Friday's vote, of which the sole moderate candidate Massoud Pezeshkian had won over 5.9 million votes and his hardline challenger former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili over 5.5 million, provisional results by the interior ministry showed.
Some insiders said the turnout was around 40%, lower than expected by Iran's clerical rulers, while witnesses told Reuters that polling stations in Tehran and some other cities were not crowded.
