TEHRAN - As Iranian voters went to the polls yesterday to choose a new president, Ayatollah Khatemi appeared, in Tehran at least, to be heading for a landslide victory. Khatemi is widely supported by youth, women and intellectuals, who believe he will ease social restrictions and censorship of the media.
But while the Ayatollah is popular in the cities, Mr Nateq Nouri is believed by pollsters to have the rural vote, which usually constitutes 45 per cent of the total. Despite constant reassurances from Iran's leadership that the election will be fairly conducted, many Iranians feel that Mr Nouri may "win" regardless of how the real votes are cast. Full results are not expected until Monday.