IRNA - Iranians residing in New Zealand were the first voters who cast ballots in the 12th presidential election on Friday when polling stations opened in the Pacific Ocean island nation at 09:30 hours local time (02:00 Tehran).


Voting started sooner in New Zealand compared to Tehran due to different time zones.

The first voter was an Iranian researcher who works in Victoria University of Wellington.

New Zealand is an island nation in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It is the farthest country in the east of the globe.

Iranian expats can participate in voting with their valid passports or birth certificates.

Iran�s presidential election is being held in 102 countries.

Over 56 million Iranians are eligible to vote in Iran's 12th presidential election, according to the Election Headquarters of the Interior Ministry. Some 2.5 million Iranians live in other countries.

Out of the total eligible voters over 1.3 million are those who vote for the first time.

Some 66.7 percent of respondents to a survey carried out by the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) on May 7-8 said they will participate in Iran�s May 19 presidential elections.

Some 570 international journalists from 42 countries are covering the event in Iran.

If no candidate wins more than 50 percent of cast votes, the top two candidates will compete in a runoff election on May 26.