| Voters snubbed a dissident-led boycott and filled polling sites yesterday in a tight presidential race to decide who will inherit Iran's many challenges — including reform pressures at home and crucial nuclear talks with the West. But the count — expected today — also could end without a clear winner. If no candidate clears the 50 percent mark, the contest shrinks to a two-man showdown on June 24 and reopens the Western-style campaigns that have reshaped Iranian politics. A run-off scenario is almost certain to include political veteran Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a leader of the 1979 revolution. |