19 May 2017, 20:32 GMT
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Polling stations in Iran closed at 12:00 PM local time (19:30 GMT) after voting hours were extended several times during Friday's presidential election and the vote counting process has started, local media reported.
The extensions of the voting hours took place due to a high turnout, and it would be illegal to extend the vote into Saturday, Press TV reportedm citing Iranian Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli.
Over 63,000 polling stations opened in Iran on Friday. Iranians have a choice between four candidates this year, including incumbent President Hasan Rouhani, Ebrahim Raisi, former Vice President Mostafa Hashemitaba, and head of the Islamic Coalition Party’s Central Council Mostafa Mirsalim. More than 56,400,000 Iranian people were eligible to vote.
Media reported, citing the Iranian Interior Ministry, that about 40 million people took part in the vote, which amounts to about 70 percent of all registered voters.
