Iranian Presidential Election Campaign Ends, Vote to be Held Friday

Campaigning has ended in Iran's closely contested presidential election, but analysts expect Friday's poll to produce no outright winner without a runoff election.

Supporters of rival candidates campaigned in Tehran early Thursday morning, in a last minute effort to win over undecided voters.

Several hundred pro-reform demonstrators marched in the capital, calling for a boycott of the polls. Police later dispersed the protesters.

Mohsen Rezaei, seated, registers as a presidential candidate in Tehran, May 11; he later dropped out of the race
Opinion polls show former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani is leading in the race to replace President Mohammad Khatami, who is barred from running for a third consecutive term. Mr. Rafsanjani's main rivals are top reform candidate Mostafa Moin and the conservative former national police chief Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf.

Three hard-line conservatives are still in the race after a fourth dropped out Wednesday.

Some information for this report provided by AP and Reuters.