Iran extends voting by four hours: ministry

TEHRAN: Iran kept polls in Friday's presidential election open an extra four hours because of high voter turnout, the interior ministry said.

"Due to the impressive presence of the insightful people of the Islamic nation and after the agreement of the interior minister (Mostafa Mohammad Najjar) ... the voting has been extended by another hour until 10:00 pm (1730 GMT)," the ministry's statement said.

Voters were still queueing outside several Tehran polling stations visited by AFP journalists at 9:00 pm (1630 GMT), when a previous three-hour extension of voting hours expired.

Under Iran's presidential law, polls are open for 10 hours, with a likelihood of extensions. Iranian media quoted the capital's top electoral official, Safar Ali Baratlou, as saying that, as of 1400 GMT, "turnout (in Tehran province) is higher than four years ago.

It will certainly reach 70 percent." Officials in several other provinces reported turnout of at least 70 percent by 1330 GMT.

In 2009, turnout reached 85 percent nationwide. Some 50.5 million voters are eligible to vote in the election to choose a successor to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.