Iranians are heading to the polls on Friday to make their final choice between contrasting candidates for who they want as their next president.
The regime will be hoping to see a higher turnout in the run-off vote, after the lowest ever in the first-round vote.
Reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian and ultraconservative Saeed Jalili led the pack in the first round last week, in an election cycle brought forward by the death of former president Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in May.
The Islamic republic's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has final say in all state matters, cast his ballot when the polls opened at 8am local time, state TV showed.
“We are starting the second round of the 14th presidential election to choose the future president from among the two candidates across 58,638 polling stations in the country and all stations abroad,” Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said, reported state TV.
Only 40 per cent of Iran's 61 million eligible voters cast their ballots in the first round, representing the lowest turnout in any presidential election since the 1979 revolution that toppled the pro-western monarchy and ushered in theocratic rule.
The two candidates held their final campaign rallies late on Wednesday so as to respect the election silence on Thursday.
The stark contrast between both candidates reflects the divide between hardliners and moderates in Iranian society.
At his rally, Mr Jalili promised “strength and progress” if elected, as posters of the late ultraconservative Mr Raisi adorned the walls, bearing the slogan: “A world of opportunities, Iran leaps forward.”
At an open-air stadium elsewhere in the capital, Mr Pezeshkian made the case for “unity and cohesion”, his supporters' chants invoking another former president – the reformist Mohammad Khatami who has endorsed their candidate.
“Long live Khatami, long live Pezeshkian!” called the spirited crowd, waving green flags adorned with the reformist candidate's “For Iran” slogan.
During one of their final televised debates this week, both candidates also clashed on their world views and foreign policy agendas.
Mr Pezeshkian, Iran's sole reformist candidate during this snap election cycle, said he would focus his foreign policy agenda on building more ties with other countries instead of continuing the isolation, and sometimes hostility, of previous governments.
Mr Jalili, known for his uncompromising anti-West stance, has staunchly opposed moves to restore a landmark 2015 deal with world powers which imposed curbs on Iran's nuclear activity in return for sanctions relief. He is also the country’s former top nuclear negotiator.
He has argued that the deal, which collapsed in 2018 when the US withdrew from it, had violated all of Iran's “red lines” by allowing inspections of nuclear sites.
Mr Pezeshkian has called for “constructive relations” with Western governments to end Iran's isolationist stance over the past several years.
“We can manage our country with unity and cohesion,” Mr Pezeshkian told his supporters at his final rally. “I will resolve internal disputes to the best of my ability,” he said.
Mr Pezeshkian has also pledged to fully end police patrols enforcing the mandatory headscarf rule for women and called to ease long-standing internet restrictions, in a key policy deviating from the hardliners in a bid to win female and young voters.
The hijab issue has become particularly contentious following mass protests following the 2022 death in custody of Mahsa Amini, who was detained for wearing her headscarf “improperly”.
Friday’s vote is also expected to test the Iranian regime’s bid to calm domestic grievances among its people after years of protests, including a wave in 2019 sparked by a government decision to increase the price of fuel.
Mr Khamenei called on Wednesday for voters to participate in Friday's presidential ballot, saying that historically low first-round turnout was not an act “against the system”.
Mr Khamenei, in a video published by state TV, said it was “completely wrong to think that those who did not vote in the first round are against the system”.
But “participation was not as expected,” added Mr Khamenei, who wields ultimate authority in Iran.
– Agencies contributed to this report.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2014%20PRO%20MAX
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Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20HyveGeo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abdulaziz%20bin%20Redha%2C%20Dr%20Samsurin%20Welch%2C%20Eva%20Morales%20and%20Dr%20Harjit%20Singh%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ECambridge%20and%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESustainability%20%26amp%3B%20Environment%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24200%2C000%20plus%20undisclosed%20grant%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVenture%20capital%20and%20government%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Karwaan
Producer: Ronnie Screwvala
Director: Akarsh Khurana
Starring: Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila Palkar
Rating: 4/5
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
88 Video's most popular rentals
Avengers 3: Infinity War: an American superhero film released in 2018 and based on the Marvel Comics story.
Sholay: a 1975 Indian action-adventure film. It follows the adventures of two criminals hired by police to catch a vagabond. The film was panned on release but is now considered a classic.
Lucifer: is a 2019 Malayalam-language action film. It dives into the gritty world of Kerala’s politics and has become one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time.
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Indoor Cricket World Cup Dubai 2017
Venue Insportz, Dubai; Admission Free
Fixtures - Open Men 2pm: India v New Zealand, Malaysia v UAE, Singapore v South Africa, Sri Lanka v England; 8pm: Australia v Singapore, India v Sri Lanka, England v Malaysia, New Zealand v South Africa
Fixtures - Open Women Noon: New Zealand v England, UAE v Australia; 6pm: England v South Africa, New Zealand v Australia
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Sheer grandeur
The Owo building is 14 storeys high, seven of which are below ground, with the 30,000 square feet of amenities located subterranean, including a 16-seat private cinema, seven lounges, a gym, games room, treatment suites and bicycle storage.
A clear distinction between the residences and the Raffles hotel with the amenities operated separately.
The specs
Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors
Transmission: two-speed
Power: 671hp
Torque: 849Nm
Range: 456km
Price: from Dh437,900
On sale: now
