Iran Elections 2021: Polls Close After Extended Hours of Voting

Voting stopped at 02:00 am local time on Saturday [June 19], 19 hours after they opened across the country at 07:00 am on Friday, June 18.

However, any voters happening to still be inside polling stations and waiting to cast their vote were able to do so.

Polling was extended several times to accommodate incoming voters and to observe health protocols amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, vote counting has begun, and the Interior Ministry is expected to start announcing election results gradually as ballots are counted.

Officials have stressed that health protocols will be strictly observed in all polling stations amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Over 59 million Iranians are eligible to vote at more than 72,000 polling stations set up countrywide, according to the figures released by election officials. Around 3,500,000 Iranian expatriates are also eligible to join the vote in 234 polling stations set up by the country’s diplomatic missions in various world countries.

City council, midterm parliamentary, and Assembly of Experts elections are being held simultaneously with the presidential vote.

Abbas-Ali Kadkhodaee, spokesman of Iran’s Constitutional Council, told Press TV that no irregularities have so far been reported in the voting process, “except for a delay in the start of the voting process at some polling stations due to a disruption in the ID system.”

“Through cooperation with colleagues at the Interior Ministry, the problem was resolved very quickly,” he said. “It was, however, decided that in case of any delay in the systems causing hardships for the people, the organizers and supervisors must make efforts to do the job manually and prevent any problems.”