Polling stations opened in Iran at 9 AM on Friday 17th June, as voting began to elect a new president.

Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani is currently the front-runner, and topped the current opinion polls. The moderate cleric's closest challengers are reformist former education minister Mostafa Moin, 54, and conservative ex-police chief Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, 43, although conservative former Tehran mayor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is said to have gained ground.  

Many Iranians say they will not vote, as they will not endorse a system where the real power is held by unelected clerics.