Iranian voters to decide on next president

Voters in Iran go to the polls again today to decide who will become the Islamic country's next president.

Today, at more than 40,000 polling stations, Iranians will decide in a head-to-head showdown between statesman-tycoon Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani and his hard-line rival, Tehran Mayor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The election exposes the gulf between those who feel empowered by the openings since the 1990s and those who feel embittered.

The outcome – expected tomorrow - will show which side will claim the higher ground for the next four years.

The 70-year-old Rafsanjani became the default choice for reformists after their main hopeful finished back in the pack during last Friday’s first round. Rafsanjani stumbled to first place with just 21% of the vote.

Right behind was Ahmadinejad with about 19.5% – forcing Iran’s first presidential run-off since the 1979 Islamic Revolution as no candidate got the 50% required for victory.

Allegations of voter intimidation and other abuses were made against the powerful Revolutionary Guards and their vigilante wings – both supporters of Ahmadinejad. But the ruling clerics approved the result.

The Interior Ministry’s election supervisor, Mojtaba Rashad, called on the judiciary yesterday to ban members of the Guards and paramilitary Basij forces from acting as observers at polling stations. It was not immediately clear if authorities would follow the demand.

At least 26 people, including a military figure, have been arrested for suspected electoral violations in last week’s vote, the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency reported.

This week’s brief campaign was all about trying to attract voters from the defeated first round candidates – who spanned reformers to staunch conservatives.