Voting in Iran’s parliamentary election has been extended by two hours because of a high turnout, state media report. It is the first poll since mass opposition protests were sparked by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s disputed presidential election victory in 2009. The vote is widely viewed as a contest between his supporters and those of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The opposition Green Movement is not taking part. Its leaders have been under house arrest since February 2011.
Early on Friday, Iranian TV broadcast images of Ayatollah Khamenei casting his vote in the capital, Tehran. He said it was a “duty and a right” for Iranians to elect members of the 290-seat parliament, the Majlis. “Because of the controversies over Iran and increased verbal threats the more people come to the polling stations the better for the country.”
Moving from one polling station to another in central Tehran, you can see marked differences in voters’ behaviour. In some places there were long queues of people wanting to cast their ballots during the morning, while in others there were not.
Full Article: BBC News – Iran conservatives contest poll for parliament.