Voting starts in Iran, with nearly 47.000 polling stations taking ballots for the 290-member parliament. State media said polling stations opened their doors to voters at 8 a.m. and are due to close at 6 pm, BBC reports.

It is the first poll since the controversial 2009 presidential elections, which the opposition says were rigged in favor of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The vote is widely viewed as a contest between his supporters and those of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The opposition Green Movement is not taking part. Its leaders have been placed under house arrest.

Early on March 2, Iranian TV broadcast images of Mr Khamenei casting his vote in the capital, Tehran.

More than 48 million people are eligible to take part in the vote out of the population of 74 million.

The authorities are urging voters to come out in large numbers, with some posters in Tehran even warning that a low turnout might encourage foreign powers to launch military strikes.

The respective strength of the different conservative camps after this poll will define the balance of power for what may be a much more important vote - the 2013 presidential election.