Presidential Campaign Ends in Iran

Rasa - Time ran out for the presidential and city and village councils candidates election campaigning on Thursday 8:00 am.

News ID: 429732

Date: 18 May 2017 - 23:32

RNA - According to the law, the candidates should finish campaign 24 hours before the start of the election process.

The elections will start across Iran at 8 am local time (3:30 GMT) on Friday.

Voting will last 10 hours and polls close at 6 pm, but voting hours could be extended if necessary. Ballot counting will start at 24:00 Friday night and final results will be announced in 24 hours after the presidential election, but results of the city and village council elections might take a few more days.

Campaigning for presidential election kicked off in Iran after the Guardian Council released the list of 6 qualified candidates on April 21, although 4 have remained in the race now.

The qualified candidates represent a wide range of political streams from the Principlists to the Reformists.

There are now 4 candidates left in the race after two of them gave up the bid. They include incumbent President Hassan Rouhani, member of the Expediency Council Mostafa Aqa-Mirsalim, former deputy judiciary chief Seyed Ebrahim Rayeesi and former vice-president Seyed Mostafa Hashemi-Taba.

Tehran's mayor and a Principlist candidate Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf announced in a statement on Monday that he has withdrawn his presidential bid in favor of Rayeesi, another candidate of the same front who now has the highest chance among the Principlist nominees to win the election.

Also incumbent Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri announced withdrawal in favor of President Rouhani on Tuesday afternoon.

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