None of the candidates received over 50 percent of the votes in Friday's presidential election in Iran, announces the Ministry of the Interior. This means that a new round of voting awaits next Friday.
Masoud Pezeshkian, described as a reformist, received slightly more votes and is just ahead of Saeed Jalili, who is described as hardline, reports AP. Both will now proceed to the second round of voting, announces the Ministry of the Interior.
Out of 24.5 million votes, Pezeshkian received 10.4 million and Jalili 9.4 million. Other candidates were far behind, according to a spokesperson for Iranian TV.
None of the candidates received an absolute majority of the votes, he says.
The election was called after the sitting president Ebrahim Raisi recently died in a helicopter crash.
The election has been described by outside observers as a sham, where six candidates loyal to the Islamic regime are running.
Iran expert Arvin Khoshnood in Sweden has predicted a record-low voter turnout.
It's no longer believed that one can influence anything by voting, he said before the election.
Everyone is united in substance and ideology. Calling someone a reformist and others hardline is just a sham, according to Arvin Khoshnood.
