By KUNA
Tehran : The Iranian Election Commission has extended voting for one hour, thus closing at 7:00 pm local time.
The move came in compliance with reports from polling stations, asking for extending the balloting period, the commission said in a release here Friday.
Turnout is predicted to hit 55-60 percent in this year’s election compared to 51 percent in the February 2004 polls.
Over 45,000 polling stations have been set up in 207 constituencies for people to elect representatives out of over 5,000 candidates to the 290-seat parliament.
The eighth parliamentary election, great test for national solidarity and strength for the governing system, started at eight o’clock on Friday morning.
Reform candidate Fatima Karobi voiced much satisfaction with the level of participation in the Iranian legislative election.
Karobi, who leads the popular alliance of reformers fielding 30 candidates in the polls, told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) that the election was being held in an appropriate atmosphere.
Karobi, wife of former Majlis (parliament) speaker Sheikh Mehdi Karobi, expected turnout to go up to 60 percent in the remaining hours.