Iranians started voting today for local councils and a powerful clerical body in the first electoral test for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his allies since he swept to office in 2005.
The vote for city and rural councils and the Assembly of Experts, in theory the most powerful institution in the Islamic Republic, will show if the president's rivals are regaining popularity even if the results have no direct impact on policy.
Mr Ahmadinejad's anti-Western and anti-Israel statements have caused alarm in the West. Any indication his popularity is waning is likely to be taken as a welcome sign among Western countries worried about Iran's nuclear ambitions.
The West has accused Iran of having a secret programme to build nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran denies.
Results may not be released until late on Sunday. Forecasting is hampered because Iran has no reliable opinion polls.
Iran's reform movement, defeated in 2003 council polls and subsequent parliamentary and presidential races, is trying to make a comeback but concedes it does not expect to make sweeping gains.
All eyes will be on the Tehran City Council race, where reformists now hold no seats, but where the conservative camp has been split between supporters of Mr Ahmadinejad and his bitter rival, Tehran mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf.