Iranians go to polls to vote for president

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iranians voted Friday in a high-stakes presidential election, apparently turning out in large numbers and defying boycott calls from young people disillusioned with a system run by clerics.

The election could be the closest presidential race since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. None of the seven candidates is expected to get the 50 percent support needed to win outright, meaning the two top vote-getters will likely meet in a runoff vote.

Voting was extended by two hours to 9 p.m., an indication that turnout was high. Iran's Interior Ministry cited long lines of people still waiting to cast their ballot.

It was hard to tell who in the race would benefit most from a large turnout. Supporters of reformist Mostafa Moin have been campaigning hard for the young - the reform movement's strongest constituency - to ignore the boycott calls and come in large numbers to the polls.

But voters in line may also have been responded to the call by Iran's hard-line supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He urged the 46.7 million eligible voters to flood the polling stations as a slap to critics - particuarly U.S. President George W. Bush, who a day earlier called the elections undemocratic and designed to keep clerics in power.

"They don't want an Islam to have a real democratic system," said Khamenei, who directs the non-elected theocracy whose powers dwarf both the presidency and parliament.

Intelligence Minister Ali Yunesi said the vote would be a lesson in democracy for its Middle East neighbors. "Bush's comments will only make our people more stubborn to vote in big numbers," he said.

There were no official reports yet on turnout. Reformers won the past two presidential votes in landslides - but their supporters have been alienated after hard-liners blocked outgoing President Mohammad Khatami's attempts at change. Some reformers called for a boycott of the vote, convinced change can't come through the ballot box.

That has thrown the race wide open. The front-runner is Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani, who was president from 1989-1997, a pragmatist who claims support among both reformers and conservatives.

Second place would appear to be a contest between Moin and a former police chief, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, 44, who appeals to conservatives. But they share one trait: seeking to become the first non-cleric president since Mohammad Ali Rajai was assassinated in 1981.

As Friday prayers ended at Tehran University, an elderly devotee shouted anti-American slogans and promised to vote for one of the most conservative candidates, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a little-known figure until he was chosen by hard-liners as Tehran mayor last year.

"I will vote for Ahmadinejad because he is the one committed to fighting corruption. And I'm voting because my vote will be a slap in the face of America," Mahdi Mirmalek said.

The hard-liners vote, however, will likely be split among the 44-year-old Qalibaf, Ahmadinejad and former radio and television chief Ali Larijani.

Outgoing President Khatami told a press conference that he hoped for a high voter turnout, to strengthen stability and democracy in Iran.

"I hope the next president will come with development in mind," he said.

His brother, Mohammed Reza Khatami, predicted that Moin, a 54-year-old former culture minister, would win if the voter turnout surpassed 60 percent. Moin has said he will make Khatami's brother his vice president if he wins.

The outcome carries added significance since the next president will influence Iran's negotiations with the West over its nuclear program, and its role as a patron of the Shiite Muslim majority in neighboring Iraq.

Rafsanjani has portrayed himself as the most experienced figure to handle the sensitive nuclear talks. Washington claims Iran seeks nuclear arms, but Iran say the program is only for energy production.

"I hope we have a fair election, free of manipulation," Rafsanjani said.

Rafsanjani is expected to receive about 45 percent of the vote, short of the mark needed to claim victory, according to campaign manager Mohammed Atrianfar.

Soaring temperatures that hovered around 105 Fahrenheit in some parts of Iran had local authorities moving line ups of the elderly indoors. There were some 41,000 polling stations around Iran, as well as 254 polling stations in other countries - including three in neighboring Iraq and 36 in the United States - where millions of expatriate Iranians can vote.

"This is more than just who will be president," said Saeed Hajjarian, a top adviser to outgoing President Khatami. "This is how Iran will proceed in a very delicate time for this region."

Security forces were on high alert in Iran, but there were no immediate reports of unrest or violence. Last Sunday, eight people in the southwestern oil city of Ahvaz were killed in a bombing claimed by previously unknown pro-Arab group. Two others died in explosions in Tehran the same day.

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