Presidential election: Iranians vote to elect new head of state

According to details, among the candidates for presidential elections include60-year-old Ebrahim Raisi; 64-year-old Abdolnasser Hemmati; 66-year-old Mohsen Rezai and 50-year old Amirhossein Qazizadeh Hashemi.

The opinion polls have suggested Ebrahim Raisi as favorite candidate with Abdolnasser Hemmati is his main rival.

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has also casted vote early on Friday morning in Tehran and encouraged people to go the polls.

"Each vote counts ... come and vote and choose your president. This is important for the future of your country,” he said.

Mr Rouhani has already served two consecutive four-year terms.

About the candidates of presidential elections:

Ebrahim Raisi has worked as a prosecutor for most of his career. He served as a judiciary chief in 2019, two years after he lost by a landslide to Mr Rouhani in the last election.

Abdolnasser Hemmati is a technocrat and was appointed the governor of the Central Bank of Iran in 2018. He was dismissed from the position after becoming a candidate.

Mohsen Rezai served as the commander of the powerful Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war. He has been nominated as a presidential candidate thrice.

Amirhossein Qazizadeh Hashemi, the youngest of all, is an ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgeon who has served as an MP since 2008 and first deputy speaker since this May.