58K+ polling stations established in Iran for presidential race

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
27 Jun 2024 14:34

The secretary and spokesperson of the Election Headquarters says 340 polling stations in around 100 countries were also established for Iranian voters abroad.

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Supporters of Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf attend his campaign gathering in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (AP)

Iran's Election Headquarters has established over 58,000 polling stations nationwide in preparation for the country's 14th Iranian presidential election scheduled to be held on June 28.

"A total of 58,640 polling stations have been anticipated across the country, of which 24,522 are urban stations and 24,118 are rural," Mohsen Eslami, the secretary and spokesperson of the Election Headquarters, told Iranian state TV.

He noted that 43,425 of these stations will be fixed, while 15,215 will be mobile.

For Iranian voters abroad, Eslami confirmed the establishment of 340 polling stations in around 100 countries, as coordinated by the Foreign Ministry.

He emphasized that, as per presidential election law, voters must present a valid birth certificate or national ID card to cast their ballots.

"The voting start time at overseas polling stations is 8 am local time," he confirmed.

Eslami clarified that individuals born on or before June 28, 2006, are eligible to vote.

The Iranian official highlighted that the identity verification process has been moved online, with voter data being electronically checked before a paper ballot is issued.

This comes as earlier, the National Election Headquarters announced that candidate Alireza Zakani "has formally notified the Ministry of Interior of his withdrawal" from the presidential race, becoming the second contender to withdraw after candidate Amir-Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi announced his withdrawal on Wednesday.

With these withdrawals, the remaining candidates for the 14th presidential election are Saeed Jalili, a former lead nuclear negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Iranian parliament speaker, Mostafa Pour Mohammadi, former interior minister, and Masoud Pezeshkian, former health minister.

Eslami urged any other candidates considering withdrawal to do so promptly, stating, "Our request from the candidates is that if they want to withdraw, they should consider today as the final day so that we can inform the public."

It is noteworthy that a new survey published by ISPA revealed that reformist candidate Masoud Pezekshian is leading the polls, followed closely by conservative candidate Saeed Jalili.