Interior Minister Denies Rumors about Iran Election Results
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Iran’s Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli quashed rumors about the outcome of the presidential election, saying the process of ballot counts will begin only upon closure of the polls, which will proceed at most until midnight.
Speaking in a televised interview on Friday night, Mr. Rahmani Fazli called on people to ignore the wild rumors and unverified figures about the outcome of election and the ballot boxes that have not been still unsealed.
He underlined that the ballot counts will begin as soon as the election process formally comes to an end, at most until 12 o’clock Friday night.
The minister also dismissed reports about a shortage of ballot papers in some polling stations.
The number of voters in Iran’s presidential election hit over 30 million by evening, while the voting has been extended for two more hours for the second time.
The number of eligible voters stands at above 56,400,000, more than 1,350,000 of whom are allowed to vote for the first time.
In the meantime, the Interior Ministry once again extended the voting for three hours. Polling stations will now be open until 11 pm local time.
There are four candidates seeking presidency in the polls, namely incumbent President Hassan Rouhani, Ebrahim Raisi, Mostafa Hashemitaba, and Mostafa Aqa-Mirsalim.
A run-off would be held a week later if none of the candidates wins a majority, which is at least 50 percent plus one vote.