Long rows for polling stations in Iran

teheran - Some 56 million Iranians have been called on to elect a new president on Friday. State television stations showed images of long queues of voters waiting for polling stations in the capital of Tehran and other cities.

The fight is mainly between current president Hassan Rohani (68) and an 'ultra' among the mighty clergy, Ebrahim Raisi (56). The choice is not democratic because the ruling clergy has forbidden most candidates to participate in advance.

Rohani is a reformer who dragged his country from international isolation. Raisi is a former prosecutor and acts as a confidant of spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (78).

The polling stations close at 15.30 hours (Dutch time). The election results are expected within 24 hours after the polling stations are closed.