In an extraordinarily courageous and humorous performance, the French journalist Florence Aubenas has spoken for nearly two hours about how she survived five months blindfolded and tied up in a small, dark cellar in Iraq. Julia speaks English very badly," Mme Aubenas said, provoking laughter among her colleagues.M. It's already been decided."In the previous two elections, student politics were critical to the reformist success as young people returned from university and spread their new ideas across the country. "We thought Khatami would make things better but he wasn't allowed to Anyway, Rafsanjani will win. Many voters are frustrated with a system in which democratically elected leaders,such as the outgoing President Mohammed Khatami, are unable to pursue policies that conflict with the clerical establishment."I'm not voting," said Nader Karimi, 22, who makes car parts in a workshop.

Polls suggest turn-out will be about 50 per cent, low in a country where 70 per cent regularly cast their vote. Mr Qalibaf's campaign talks of restoring Iran's national pride and Mr Moin is focusing on human rights.So far the election has failed to grab the public imagination. However, many voters see his ability to work the system as more important than election promises. The young crowd applauded as they enjoyed this rare occasion to flout the usually strict codes of public behaviour."Iranians never miss an opportunity to be happy," Mehdi Rizwan, 30, an architect, said "We can only do things like this occasionally.

But in election time we can do whatever we like because the government needs our votes."Well aware of electoral demographics, the candidates have directed their campaigns at the young. But with an estimated two thirds of the population under 30 and a voting age of 15, politics often comes second to work and having fun for a large proportion of the Iranian electorate."I am the only one in my class who intends to vote," Jamal-e Fard, who favours the reformist candidate Mostafa Moin, said. "But everybody is excited about the football."On Wednesday night, tens of thousands of revellers poured on to the streets of Tehran after the national football team qualified for next year's World Cup finals. In some parts of the city, they waved election posters and festooned their cars with stickers proclaiming the names of their favoured candidates, but most were more interested in just having fun.In northern Tehran, a crowd gathered around a girl who was gyrating rhythmically through a car sunroof at an impromptu carnival.