Iran holds presidential run-off amid widespread voter apathy

Polls opened in Iran on July 5 for a run-off presidential election that will test the clerical rulers’ popularity amid voter apathy at a time of regional tensions and a stand-off with the West over Tehran’s nuclear programme.

State television said polling stations opened their doors to voters at 8am local time (12.30pm Singapore time). Polling was to end at 6pm (10.30pm Singapore time), but was extended by two hours.

The final result will be announced on July 6, although initial figures may come out sooner.

The run-off follows a June 28 ballot with a historic low turnout, when over 60 per cent of Iranian voters abstained from the snap election for a successor to Mr Ebrahim Raisi, following his death in a helicopter crash in May.

The low participation is seen by critics as a vote of no confidence in the Islamic republic.

The vote is a tight race between low-key lawmaker Masoud Pezeshkian, the sole moderate in the original field of four candidates, and hardline former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, a staunch advocate of deepening ties with Russia and China.

While the election will have little impact on the Islamic republic’s policies, the president will be closely involved in selecting the successor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s 85-year-old Supreme Leader, who calls all the shots on top state matters.