13,000 Iranians in Karbala take part in presidential elections

KARBALA / IraqiNews.com: Around 13,000 Iranians, who are visiting holy Shiite shrines in Karbala, are taking part in the Iranian presidential elections in three polling stations inside the city, the Iranian pilgrimage official in Karbala said on Friday. “Around 13,000 Iranian pilgrims in Karbala are participating in the elections to elect a new Iranian president,” Shukr Agha told IraqiNews.com news agency. “The elections are underway under the supervision of the Iranian consulate in three polling stations in central Karbala,” he added. Friday’s poll has emerged as a close race between front-runners Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and former premier Mir Hossein Mousavi. Ahmadinejad, 52, is battling for a second four-year term, while the 67-year-old Mousavi is seeking to make a comeback, pledging better ties with the outside world. Election officials predict record turnout among the 46.2 million voters, half of whom were born after the 1979 Islamic revolution. SH (P) 5