Iranian elections see over 40% turnout, results awaited

Polling stations opened at 8 a.m. local time (0430 GMT) on Friday, with voting taking place at 59,000 locations across Iran. More than 15,000 candidates competed for 290 parliamentary seats, while 144 candidates vied for positions in the eight-year-term Assembly of Experts, an 88-member body tasked with overseeing the activities of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution and holds authority to appoint or dismiss the Leader.

Voting concluded at midnight local time after 16 consecutive hours of voting.

A total of 61.17 million eligible voters, consisting of 30.94 million men and 30.22 million women, were registered for the elections. The Iranian Interior Ministry reported that more than 25 million ballots were cast.

Originally scheduled to end at 6 p.m. local time, the voting period was extended three times, with each extension lasting for two hours. (ILKHA)