Tehran, 19 June 2021 (IRNA)

Judiciary Chief Ebrahim Raisi leading in initial votes counting in 13th presidential elections in Islamic Republic of Iran with 17.8 million votes till 1100 AM. It was announced by Iran’s Deputy Interior Minister and Head of Election Office Jamal Araf announced on Saturday.

He said that 28.6 million ballots have been counted until 11:00 am local time June 19. Other presidential candidates Mohsen Rezaei Mirqaed has 3.3 million votes so far and Abdolnaser Hemmati and Amir Hossein Ghazizadeh have obtained 2.4 million and one million votes respectively so far.

Saeed Jalili, Mohsen Mehralizadeh and Alireza Zakani, three other presidential candidates, dropped out of the presidential race.

Final results are yet to be announced, Rezaei, Hemmati and Ghazizadeh have already congratulated Raisi on his victory in separate messages.

Iran’s presidential election started in polling stations across the country as well as in 133 countries at 07:00 on June 18. The election time was extended twice until 2:00 AM June 19.

Some 500 international journalists from 226 foreign media covered the event in Iran.

The 13th presidential election was held simultaneous with the sixth round of city and village councils elections, the first mid-term for 11th parliament’s by-election, and the second mid-term for the fifth Assembly of Experts election.