DUBAI — Iranians will vote in a run-off presidential election on Friday (July 5) amid voter apathy and heightened regional tensions.

The run-off follows a June 28 ballot with historic low turnout, when over 60per cent of Iranian voters abstained from the snap election for a successor to Ebrahim Raisi, following his death in a helicopter crash. The low participation is seen by critics as a vote of no confidence in the Islamic Republic. 

Friday's vote will be a tight race between low-key lawmaker Masoud Pezeshkian, the sole moderate in the original field of four candidates, and hardline former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili.

Polls open at 8 am local time (0430 GMT) and close at 6 pm (1430 GMT), but are usually extended until as late as midnight. The final result will be announced on Saturday, although initial figures may come out sooner.

While the poll will have little impact on the Islamic Republic's policies, the president will be closely involved in selecting the successor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's 85-year-old supreme leader who calls all the shots on top state matters.

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