Iran hails elections as message to West

Friday's vote was the first popularity test for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose anti-Israel rhetoric alarms many in the West, since he took office 16 months ago.

Official results for the twin polls for local councils and the so-called Assembly of Experts are not expected until late on Saturday at the earliest, officials said.

Unofficial opinion polls and partial results cited by some local media suggested voters backed a range of candidates, giving all political groups something to cheer but allowing none to claim outright victory.

Ali Alavi, an official involved in electoral supervision, told the ISNA students news agency that about 26 million people had voted. That would mean a turnout of around 56 percent, well up on previous votes.