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Reformist candidate leading in Iran's election with votes at most polling stations counted

The election official told the IRIB TV channel that with 19 mln votes counted, Pezeshkian, a reformist candidate, received 8.3 mln votes

DUBAI, June 29. /TASS/. Former Health Minister Masoud Pezeshkian is in the lead in Iran’s early presidential election with ballots counted at most polling stations, Election Headquarters Spokesperson Mohsen Eslami said.

The election official told the IRIB TV channel that with 19 mln votes counted, Pezeshkian, a reformist candidate, received 8.3 mln votes, while the Iranian supreme leader’s representative in the national Security Council Saeed Jalili garnered 7.2 mln. The total number of voters stands at 61 mln.

A presidential contender needs to secure over 50% of the vote in order to win in the first round; otherwise a runoff between the top two candidates will be held in a week.

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