Iranians vote in presidential, provincial council polls

TEHRAN

Iranians are heading to the polls Friday to elect a new president and provincial council members.

Voting began early in the day, with registered voters casting ballots at 63,000 polling centers countrywide.

The voting process is set to continue until 20:00 local time.

According to official statistics, some 56.4 million Iranians are eligible to cast votes.

As the polling began, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei urged citizens to take part in the election, which pits incumbent reformist President Hassan Rouhani against three conservative candidates.