Iranians vote in crucial election
Voters in Iran are choosing a new president in the decisive second round of a closely contested election.
The run-off between former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and the mayor of Tehran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is being billed as a historic election.
Mr Rafsanjani has been portrayed as a reformer aiming to help Iran's young, facing Mr Ahmadinejad's brand of Islamic social conservatism.
The previous round was tarnished by allegations of fraud and intimidation.
Ahead of Friday's poll, Iran's outgoing President, Mohammed Khatami, urged government departments to ensure the election was free and fair.
Iranians should come out in full force, for the run-off, on Friday
Majid R, Tehran
Iranian elections: Your views
Mr Khatami told Iran's student-run news agency, Isna, that a "climate of terror" was being created around the vote.
Some 25 people have been arrested on suspicion of vote-rigging in the first round, and interior ministry officials have reportedly been ordered to prevent intimidation at polling booths.
Country split
The differences between the two candidates have offered a stark choice to Iran's 47 million voters, half of whom are aged under 25.
Mr Rafsanjani is a former president who has campaigned for a new term in office promising social reforms - popular among Iran's millions and closer relations with the west.
FIRST-ROUND RESULTS
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani - 21%
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (above) - 19.5%
Mehdi Karroubi - 17.3%
Source: Iranian interior ministry
Papers set stage for vote
Mr Ahmadinejad, by contrast, is a former military figure who has pledged to redistribute wealth and step up efforts to counter western "decadence" within Iran's Islamic society.
The BBC's Frances Harrison in Tehran says the choice between the two has divided the country from top to bottom, along ideological and class lines.
While the Mr Ahmadinejad's Islamic orthodoxy has concerned many, others have attacked Mr Rafsanjani's alleged wealth, branding him "a new Shah".
The bitterly-fought campaign has polarised Iranian society, exposing economic frustrations yet to be resolved more than 25 years after the Islamic revolution.
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