Iranian election: Ahmadinejad leads in polls

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has recieved 70% of all votes currently counted in the Iranian presidential elections, officials have said.

The current president has faced a tough election race against reformist candidate Mir Houssein Mousavi, who earlier claimed he had one by a substantial margin. Mousavi has also made allegations of voting irregularities, claiming that a lack of ballot papers has led to millions being denied their right to vote.In a statement he said "[We] are waiting for the counting of votes to officially end and explanations of these irregularities to be given,"

Electoral officials have said that Mr Ahmadinejad has recieved over two-thirds of the vote in an election that has held the international media's attention and drawn a large turnout of voters. At many polling stations there were long queues and voting hours were extended to account for the 'unprecedented' amount of voters, estimates say that turnout could be as high as 75%.

With the US pursuing a new relationship with Iran the timing of the election and its result is critical. The current president, Ahmadinejad, is a traditionalist, who has had a hardline approach to the West. He mainly draws his support from poor, rural voters where as his main rival Mir Houssein Mousavi is a reformist, attracted votes from the educated, urban middle-classes. The role of women in the election is being observed closely, as many are expected to vote for moderate candidates who stand for social freedoms and equality.

Four candidates appeared on the ballot sheets with Mehdi Karroubi and Mohsen Razai trailing the two front-runners. To win a candidate needs a clear majority of over 50%, if no candidate achieves this then there is a run-off vote between the top two.