Time to say sayonara to the outgoing, and probably one of the most controversial leaders in modern history in Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who leaves the Iranian political stage as Iran goes to the polls to elect his successor.
With Iran-Israel tensions ratcheted up like no other time in history due to the nuclear programme, Ahmedinejad's successor has a difficult inheritance as economic sanctions have really started to bite. Some argue the race is simply between the Supreme Leader's personal picks.
Hope there will be no post-election violence and it all goes peacefully. You gotta love how the media bangs on about 'reformists vs conservatives' when in reality the contest has tended to be in Iran between really really conservatives and really really really conservatives.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-22898060
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With Iran-Israel tensions ratcheted up like no other time in history due to the nuclear programme, Ahmedinejad's successor has a difficult inheritance as economic sanctions have really started to bite. Some argue the race is simply between the Supreme Leader's personal picks.
Hope there will be no post-election violence and it all goes peacefully. You gotta love how the media bangs on about 'reformists vs conservatives' when in reality the contest has tended to be in Iran between really really conservatives and really really really conservatives.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-22898060
Millions of voters across Iran are casting their ballots in the country's presidential elections.
Although all six candidates are seen as conservatives, one of them, cleric Hassan Rouhani, has been reaching out to the reformists in recent days.
The election will decide a successor to outgoing leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
His eight years in power have been characterised by economic turmoil and Western sanctions against Iran over its controversial nuclear programme.
Some 50 million people are eligible to cast their ballots. Polls across Iran opened at 08:00 local time (03:30 GMT) and were due to close at 18:00 (13:30 GMT).
However, the Iranian Interior Minister, Mostafa Mohammad Najjar, has now announced that voting time will be extended, possibly by several hours.
Ballot counting is still expected to start at midnight local time and results are due to be announced in the following 24 hours.
The minister also told state TV that presidential candidates would have three days to lodge complaints to the vetting body, the Guardian Council, if they were unhappy with the results.
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