Iranians began voting on Friday in landmark presidential elections widely expected to give President Mohammad Khatami a second term in office and a chance to push for more democracy and social freedoms, reported AFP.
Initial state media reports said Iranians were voting en masse, confirming predictions of a high turnout in the Islamic republic's eighth presidential polls.
However, an official told Al Jazeera satellite channel Friday morning that the turnout would not be as high as it was in 1997, due to the fact that people were sure that Khatami would win.
State radio reported a "good turnout" just one hour after the polls opened at 9:00 am (0430 GMT), as national television carried images of lengthy queues outside several polling stations.
Polling in 37,000 stations is scheduled to end at 7:00 pm (1430 GMT), but in the event of a heavy turnout the interior ministry could order an extension, said AFP.
Khatami, 57, is facing a record field of nine challengers mostly drawn from the Islamic republic's conservative camp, which for the past four years has sought to block his ambitious reformist program, said AFP.
But at several polling booths across Tehran, conservative supporters were few and far between.
"Four years ago, no one was talking about freedom and democracy, but now everyone is," said Elmira, a 21-year-old student of electrical engineering who was among the first to vote when the polls opened at 9:00 am (0430 GMT).
"I've been praying every night for Khatami to win," she told the agency.
Analysts predict Khatami will easily sweep to a second term -- the most allowed under Iran's constitution -- with a similar showing to 1997, when he won nearly 70 percent.
But anything less than the mandate he won four years ago could be seized on by hardliners as a sign that support is waning for Khatami's struggling agenda of delivering unprecedented social and political reform for the Islamic republic.
Conservative former labor minister Ahmad Tavakoli is expected to come in second, and Khatami could also find his support eaten away by the spread of candidates, voter apathy and his inability to turn around a stagnant economy, added AFP.
Conservatives have charged that his relaxation of social restrictions, especially on women, is undermining the Islamic foundations of the regime and tempting youth, who make up two-thirds of the population, away from religion.
Those fears are certain to remain in the wake of the vote and, even if the mild-mannered mid-ranking cleric does romp home to victory, he admits his task will not be easy.
Even Khatami's wife revealed in an interview published this week that she was against his candidacy, complaining that his first stint in office had simply been too hard.
More than 42 million people in Iran, where the minimum voting age is 15, are eligible to cast their ballots.
Results are expected within 24 hours of the polls closing at 7:00 pm (1430 GMT).
Voters will also be filling 16 seats in parliamentary by-elections, as well as two seats on the powerful Experts Assembly, a conservative-dominated body that elects or deposes the supreme leader.
Final results must be approved by another conservative-led oversight body, the Guardians Council, which also vets all candidates for elective office.
The council ruled out more than 800 hopefuls for the presidency, including all women who sought to stand.
Meanwhile, for the first ever, 500 people representing the country's political parties have been allowed to attend polling stations to oversee elections, reported Iranian news agency (IRNA) on Friday.
The secretary general of the party supporting the May 23 Front Message, Mostafa Kavakebian, told IRNA on Friday that representatives of the parties would be present only in the Greater Tehran constituencies to oversee the voting.
Kavakebian said identification cards had been issued for the parties' representatives by the elections headquarters and said he hoped that related officials would cooperate with them.
He said the envoys would have the responsibility of informing the concerned authorities about any problems or violations – Albawaba.com
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