RNA - Iraq's Nalia Radio and Television (NRT) said as lengthy queues formed outside the polling stations across the country of 80 million, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei cast his vote on Friday noting that the outcome of the election is to be determined by the people.
The media group, head-quartered in Sulaimaniya, clarified that the election is seeing Iran's current President Hassan Rouhani facing off against Principlist candidate Ibraim Raisi, ex-culture minister Mostafa Mirsalim and reformist ex-vice president Mostafa Hashemitaba.
In a lengthy article, Rudaw Media Network described the Friday election as a 'high-stake' event in the Iranian political history saying that Iranian voters also go the ballot boxes in the 'election that is being closely watched by the international community' to vote to elect members of city councils across Iran.
Polls opened at 8 a.m. local time across Iran in the first round of the presidential election that is being closely watched by the international community.
The news website quoted the incumbent Rouhani as saying that whoever is elected as president should receive all of the nation’s support.
“Any candidate who is elected should be helped to accomplish this heavy responsibility,” Rouhani said after casting his vote. “Anyone who is elected must be helped from tomorrow with unity, happiness and joy.”
Rudaw also published parts of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei remarks after he cast his vote in the election.
“My recommendation to the people is that that they participate in the elections in larger numbers. The sooner they go to polling stations the better,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said, Rudaw reported.
The Irbil-based online news outlet, Bas News, also provided a coverage of the Iranian presidential election saying that the incumbent Hassan Rouhani with his more moderate policies is challenged by the his Principlist rival cleric, Ebrahim Raisi.
"On Friday morning Iranian voters turned to the polls for the elections of the city councils as well as the first presidential elections as of Iran's nuclear deal," Bas News reported.
Baghdad Post dedicated several news pieces on Friday to the vote ongoing in Iran, noting that "Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei cast his ballot in Iran’s presidential and City Council elections on Friday morning as soon as the voting kicked off."
Ayatollah Khamenei described attending the election as a virtue, calling for Iranians to cast their ballots as early as possible without postponing it to a later time, Baghdad Post reported.
“I believe that presidential election is very important and the fate of the country is in the hands of the masses of the people who choose the head of government," the supreme leader was quoted as saying by the Iraqi news outlet.
In a separate article, Baghdad Post provided coverage to casting the ballot by the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, noting that the incumbent president, who championed integrating Iran with the global economy and curbed his nation’s nuclear work in exchange for relief from sanctions, runs a two-horse race with Ebrahim Raeisi.
The Irbil-based TV station, Kurdistan 24, said in an article on its website that the race is expected to be a close call between incumbent President of Iran Hassan Rouhani and his opponent Ebrahim Raisi.
The website also attached an album of photos related to the 2017 presidential election in Iran.
847/940