Friday, June 18 2021 10:22

ArmInfo. The thirteenth presidential elections have started in Iran.

The elections officially started at 7:00 am local time with the vote  of the Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Khamenei and will continue  until 12:00am in all regions of the country.

Four politicians are fighting for the post of head of government:  Ebrahim Raisi, Amir Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi, Abdolnaser Hemmati  and Mohsen Rezaei . More than 500 foreign journalists from 38  countries, representing 226 international media, have come to cover  the presidential elections in Iran.

According to official data, of the 80 million Iranian population, 59  million 310 thousand 307 people have the right to vote, of which 29  million 980 thousand 38 are men, 29 million 330 thousand 269 are  women. 1 million 392 thousand 148 people will vote for the first time  in the presidential elections.

As a rule, voting on election day is carried out using paper ballots  and ballot boxes, but in 2021, in some cities of Iran, voting will  take place electronically. Voters must be in possession of a birth  certificate, national card or valid passport. During the first round  of elections, voters can vote in the constituency of their choice,  but they are not allowed to change constituencies in the second  round.

The President is elected by an absolute majority (over 50%) of the  votes cast. If in the first round of elections none of the candidates  received such a majority of votes, a second vote is held on Friday  next week.

According to the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran (1989),  the president is the second highest official after the leader of the  country. He is responsible for the implementation of the Constitution  and directs the executive branch in all areas, except for those that  are directly under the jurisdiction of the country's leader. The  president is directly elected for four years, and can only be elected  for two consecutive terms.

The president should be elected from among religious and political  figures who meet the following requirements: "Iranian origin, Iranian  citizenship, managerial and organizational skills, worthy biography  and piety, religiosity, belief in the foundations of the Islamic  Republic and belonging to the official religion of the country."

The candidate must be at least 40 and over 75 years old. The future  president must have at least four years of management experience,  have no criminal record, and hold at least a Master of Science  degree.