Interior Ministry Prepared to Properly Conduct Elections

The Interior Ministry said the electoral process for Friday’s elections have been one year in the making and that the ministry was on track to properly conduct this weekend’s four elections.
The Election Headquarters aims to employ innovative technology to count the public’s votes as fast as possible, the headquarters’ spokesman, Esmaeil Mousavi, was quoted as saying by IRNA on Tuesday.
Polls for presidential and city and village council elections open at 7 a.m. local time across the country while midterm elections for vacant seats in the parliament will be held only in six provinces.
Midterm elections for the Assembly of Experts will also take place in four provinces on the same day.
Mousavi noted, “Data on the presidential election will be sent to the Guardian Council in real time. After consolidation between the council and the Interior Ministry, results will be announced to the public.”
Iranians can expect to be informed of the results for the presidential election first, followed by results of the midterm Assembly of Experts and parliamentary elections. Candidates for the city and village council elections will be the last to know whether they have secured enough votes to become elected officials.

E-Voting

Mousavi pointed out, “Election results will be announced sooner in some provincial capitals where e-voting is used.”
Eight major cities and 16 provincial capitals will be the first in the country to participate in a fully electronic city council election. Iran has been sidestepping e-polling for years due to safety concerns.
The voter identification process will take place electronically throughout the country to curb the chances of coronavirus transmission. “Health protocols will be fully observed,” Mousavi said.
Over 1.5 million polling staff are ready to cooperate with representatives from the Red Crescent Society to strictly follow safety measures. All polling stations are set to be disinfected ahead of Election Day to alleviate public concern.
For the first time in the history of the Islamic Republic, voting hours can be extended until two hours past midnight to ensure social distancing and prevent crowding.
Seven presidential candidates are campaigning to replace outgoing President Hassan Rouhani after his two terms in office. Candidates are allowed by law to campaign up until 24 hours before polls open. 
Mousavi concluded, “We’re hoping to hold a fair and lawful election with a high turnout this Friday.”
Roughly 59 million Iranians are eligible to vote in the 13th presidential election. Some 1.392 million are first-time voters.