ranians are voting to elect a new president, with all but one of the four candidates regarded as hardliners. The winner will replace incumbent Hassan Rouhani, a relative moderate who has served the maximum two terms. Dissidents and some reformists have called for a boycott, saying the barring of several contenders has removed any genuine competition. The elections come at a time of widespread discontent among Iranians over economic hardships. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei cast his vote early on Friday morning in Tehran and encouraged people to go the polls. “Each vote counts … come and vote and choose your president,” he said. “This is important for the future of your country.” However, there is widespread apathy among voters, after three years of crippling sanctions reinstated by the US when it abandoned a nuclear deal between world powers and Iran.(BBC)…[+]