In Iran, Waiting to Vote is another Selfie Opportunity

Smiling and wearing bright lipstick, with headscarves barely covering their hair, young Iranian women took selfies as they lined up to vote in crucial elections on Friday.

Their pictures, some posing in groups, flooded social networks as lines formed at polling stations after the electorate was urged by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to vote early.

Enthusiasm was not blunted by the wait. Nor was it confined to the country's youth -- 60 percent of Iran's 79 million people are aged under 30.

Many of Iran's young women shun the traditional conservative black chador in favor of a long coat, tight trousers and thin headscarf.

Atefeh Jaberi, a 45-year-old writer, doesn't. But she has avoided recent elections. This time, she felt her vote could count.

"We need fundamental reforms, we need to support the government," she said, holding "The List of Hope" of moderate and reformist candidates fighting for a seat in parliament.

With just a hint of a bright pink and gold headscarf peeking out from the chador that draped her entire body, Jaberi said she wanted an end to isolation and political conflict.

"We need to open the doors of our country to the world," she said outside Hosseiniye Ershad, a religious institute in north Tehran once renowned for hosting speakers who would often end up in jail for decrying the monarchy before the 1979 Islamic revolution.

With 60 people in front of her and as many behind, she felt that the allies of President Hassan Rouhani, a political moderate who led Iran in a nuclear deal with world powers that lifted sanctions last month, were worthy of her support.

"With a stronger parliament the country's officials too will be convinced and accept that the people need change," she said.

In Iran, voting takes time.

At Val-e-Asr Mosque in downtown Tehran people said it was taking 40 minutes to register but at least early on turnout was higher than in parliamentary elections four years ago.

"Already, 150 people have voted which is twice as many as last time," Mehdi Khazaie, head of the polling station told AFP two hours after opening the doors.

Some 1,200 candidates are standing for 30 seats in the capital, out of 290 nationwide, and voters have to write the names of every hopeful they support on their ballot paper.

Although all candidates names were displayed on giant lists in the polling station, many voters used pictures stored on their smartphones of the main lists that they were supporting be it conservative or moderates and reformists.

"We did not want to vote after what had happened in 2009," Maria, a 40-year-old engineer said, surrounded by family and friends, referring to the disputed presidential re-election of hardline conservative Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, ahead of two reformists.

That election was followed by street protests and a crackdown in which dozens of Iranians were killed by security forces. Many from the reformist camp boycotted parliamentary polls in 2012.

For Maria, however, this year is different. "We decided to come because there are two clearly distinct groups," she said.

"We will choose the less bad over the bad," she added, confirming that she favored the pro-Rouhani camp over its conservative rival.

Others were less reluctant to show their approval.

"We need a more open society because we suffered a lot during the eight years of Ahmadinejad," said Hamid, a mechanic.

His reasons were clear. "So that he has a better future," he said, pointing to his 12-year-old son who accompanied him to the polling station at Val-e-Asr Mosque.