Iran Opens Polling Stations for Snap Presidential Election
TEHRAN (Sputnik) - Iran's snap presidential election, called after the death of late President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in May, began on Friday, a Sputnik correspondent reported.
Iranian authorities called a snap presidential election, which according to the constitution must be held within 50 days of the declaration of the president's death or incapacity, and transferred Raisi's duties to First Vice-President Mohammad Mokhber.
The four candidates on the ballot include reformist ex-health minister Masoud Pezeshkian and three conservatives: former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and ex-interior minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi, listed in declining order of popularity according to opinion polls.
A second round of the vote will take place on July 5, if necessary.
On May 19, Raisi died after his helicopter crashed on its way back to Iran from a visit to neighboring Azerbaijan. Preliminary findings of an official Iranian probe suggest the helicopter caught fire after hitting a hilltop amid thick fog.
