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Iranian leaders say turn out to vote

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is urging voters to vote in Iran's next presidential election. file photo. UPI/Maryam Rahmanian
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is urging voters to vote in Iran's next presidential election. file photo. UPI/Maryam Rahmanian | License Photo

TEHRAN, May 3 (UPI) -- Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are urging voters to vote in Iran's next presidential election.

Dissidents, meanwhile, are trying to decide whether to boycott the election, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported. They say going to the polls could simply make the government appear more legitimate but also could have an impact.

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"People are very worried about the future," a Tehran journalist who did not want to be identified told RFE/RL. "That could lead many to vote, hoping that it could lead to some improvement on the economic front."

Ahmadinejad won the 2009 presidential election by a large margin, returns many believed to be fraudulent. At least 70 people were killed as large anti-government demonstrations erupted.

Ahmadinejad suggested anyone trying to get voters to stay home in June is an enemy of Iran.

"The enemies are making every effort to discourage people, but when the people enter the scene, everything will change, so we should aim for a massive turnout in the election," he said.

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