中东—伊朗总统大选（在线收听）

Iran Votes for New President

伊朗总统大选

The polls opened at 9:00 in the morning, what is usually a day of rest and prayer in Islamic Iran. Some 47 million people aged 15 and up are eligible to cast ballots.

Former president and parliamentary speaker Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani is seen as a slight front-runner in a tight three-way race at the top of the eight-candidate pack. His toughest challenges are expected to come from another conservative, former police chief and airline pilot Mohammad Bagar Qalibaf, and the favorite of the reformers, Mostafa Moin. If no candidate gets more than 50 percent, a runoff is to be held in another week.

There have been calls from some quarters, particularly among young reformers, to boycott the vote. Two-thirds of the electorate is under age 30. Reformers are disillusioned about how conservatives allied with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei blocked President Khatemi's efforts to institute more openness in a rigid society.

Other people are disappointed about what they say is a lack of government effort to cure economic ills. "It's no use voting," says one Tehran shopkeeper, who asked not to be named. "It's only so the politicians can say that they have some popular support."

It's really about inflation and unemployment, say onlookers to the park bench interview.

Officials say a clear picture, if not the final results, should be available by Sunday.

Gary Thomas, VOA news, Tehran.

注释：

front-runner 竞争中的领先者

runoff [5rQnCf] n. 决定性竞选

be disillusioned about 对……大失所望

inflation [in5fleiFEn] n. 通货膨胀，（物价）暴涨