TEHRAN - The presidential elections began in Iran at 8 a.m. local time (0430 GMT) on Friday.

The voting is set to close at 6:00 p.m., but it is expected to be extended by the Interior Ministry. 

More than 61 million people are eligible to vote.

Iran is holding snap polls as Ebrahim Raisi, who was elected president in 2021, passed away in a helicopter crash on May 19.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei cast his ballot in the early minutes that the voting began, saying participation in the polls is essential for the viability of the Islamic Republic system. 

"Durability, consistency, dignity and reputation of the Islamic Republic in the world depends on the presence of the people," the Leader remarked.

Ayatollah Khamenei also called on people to turn out massively and enthusiastically in the presidential election, noting, “This is a definite need for the Islamic Republic."

The competition is between four candidates: Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Saeed Jalili, Masoud Pezeshkian and Mostafa Pourmohammadi.

Qalibaf, the current speaker of the Iranian parliament, and Jalili, a key member of the Supreme National Security Council, represent the principlist camps. Pezeshkian, a sitting lawmaker from Tabriz, represents the pro-reform faction, and Pourmohammadi the centrists.       

Tehran mayor Alireza Zakani and former MP and vice president Amir-Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi withdrew their candidacies on Wednesday and Thursday respectively.