Iranians vote in snap presidential elections amid regional tensions

Voting for electing a new president has begun in Iran following Ebrahim Raisi's death in a helicopter crash, choosing from a tightly controlled group of four candidates loyal to the supreme leader.

Polls opened at 0430 GMT and will close at 1430 pm GMT on Friday, but are usually extended until as late as midnight.

As ballots are counted manually, the final result is expected to be announced only in two days although initial figures may come out sooner.

While the election is unlikely to bring a major shift in the policies, the outcome could influence the succession to Ali Khamenei, Iran's 85-year-old supreme leader, in power for three-and-a-half decades.

Khamenei has called for a "maximum" turn out to offset a legitimacy crisis fuelled by public discontent over economic hardship and curbs on political and social freedoms.

Voter turnout has plunged over the past four years, with a mostly young population chafing at political and social restrictions.

If no candidate wins at least 50 percent plus one vote from all ballots cast including blank votes, a run-off round between the top two candidates is held on the first Friday after the election result is declared.

Escalating regional tensions

The elections are taking place amidst a low and declining voter turnout. Only 48 percent of voters participated in the 2021 election that brought Raisi to power, and turnout hit a record low of 41 percent in a parliamentary election three months ago.

The election now coincides with escalating regional tensions due to Israel's war on Gaza and Lebanon, as well as increased international pressure on Iran over its fast-advancing nuclear programme.

The next president is not expected to produce any major policy shift on Iran's nuclear programme or support for groups across the Middle East, since Khamenei calls all the ultimate shots on top state matters. However, the president runs the government day-to-day and can influence the tone of Iran's foreign and domestic policy.

A watchdog body made up of six clerics and six jurists aligned with Khamenei vets candidates. It approved just six candidates from an initial pool of 80. Two candidates subsequently dropped out.

Prominent among the remaining are Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, parliament speaker and former mayor of Tehran, and Saeed Jalili, a former nuclear negotiator who served for four years in Khamenei's office.

Massoud Pezeshkian, is faithful to the country's theocratic rule but advocates detente with the West, economic reform, social liberalisation and political pluralism.

His chances hinge on reviving the enthusiasm of reform-minded voters who have largely stayed away from the polls for the last four years after previous pragmatist presidents achieved little change. He could also benefit from his rivals' failure to consolidate the hardline vote.

All four candidates have vowed to revive the flagging economy, beset by mismanagement, state corruption and sanctions reimposed since 2018 after the US ditched Tehran's 2015 nuclear pact with six world powers.