Tehran   -   Iranians cast their ballots Friday in a presidential election called after the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash last month. Around 61 million Iranians are eligible to vote in the election.

The ballot comes against a backdrop of heightened regional tensions over the Gaza war and the state of Iran’s sanctions-hit economy. The contenders approved by the Guardian Council, which vets all candidates, include Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalil, Masoud Pezeshkian, and cleric Mostafa Pourmohammadi. Tehran mayor Alireza Zakani and Raisi’s former vice president Amir-Hossein Ghazizadeh-Hashemi -- dropped out on the eve of the election.

Voting was underway nationwide at more than 58,000 polling stations, mostly in schools and mosques.

Calling it “a day of joy and happiness,” Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei voted shortly after the polls opened.

“We encourage our dear people to take the issue of voting seriously and participate,” said Khamenei.