Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei cast his vote in the country's presidential election early on Friday morning and opened the poll.

Khamenei urged Iranians to actively take part in the election, saying "it is important that everybody participates" and their participation will "determine the fate of the country".

Enemies intended to "discourage the Iranian people" so that "they would not attend the polling stations", he said.

The Iranian leader dismissed what he said were US officials' recent comments on the Iranian poll and said that "it is not significant that you do not accept Iran's election".

In his earlier message, Khamenei had called on Iranians to create a "political epic" by their "big turn-out" in the election.

According to Iran's Interior Ministry, nearly 50.5 million eligible voters can cast ballots for the candidates qualified by Iran's Guardian Council of Constitution, to choose a successor to incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The ministry also said that 60,000 polling stations have been set up for the election nationwide, Press TV reported on Friday.

Xinhua

(China Daily 06/15/2013 page8)