Rafsanjani, Ahmadinejad lead Iran presidency poll

TEHRAN - Moderate cleric Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad led their rivals on Saturday in Iran's presidential poll, preliminary results showed.

Sources close to the supervisory Guardian Council said Rafsanjani had taken 5.60 million of the 26.64 million votes counted out of an estimated 32 million ballots cast in Friday's election. Ahmadinejad was in second place with 5.24 million.

If they hold their lead over their nearest rival, reformist cleric Mehdi Karroubi, who had 4.73 million of votes counted, the pair will square off next Friday in a deciding election.

"It has been a completely unpredictable election and one still cannot foresee the final result," Deputy Interior Minister Mahmoud Mirlohi told reporters earlier as the count continued.

To secure a first-round victory, one of the candidates needed to obtain at least 50 percent of ballots cast.

No presidential election in Iran has gone to a second round since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

- REUTERS