June 18 (UPI) -- Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged residents to vote in nationwide elections Friday, but many expect hard-line front-runner Ebrahim Raisi to cruise to victory, replacing Hassan Rouhani.
Raisi, 60, a close ally of Khamenei who serves as head of the judiciary, lost the 2017 election to Rouhani. This time, Iranian election officials barred many who believed would be Raisi's stiffest competition, essentially clearing the field for him to win.