Will a new Iranian president improve Canada’s relationship with the rogue nation?

Polls have now closed in Iran where an estimated 50 million people were eligible to vote, on Friday, to replace outgoing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

According to reports, voter turnout has been very high.

Results should be announced shortly: if none of the six candidates earns 50 per cent of the vote, a run-off election will be held next Friday.

The election, however, has been dubbed a sham by many in the West. According to Human Rights Watch, all presidential candidates had to be approved by an unelected body of 12 religious jurists who vetted candidates on a mix of criteria, most of which were arbitrary.

Moreover, as explained by BBC News, there are no independent or foreign organizations allowed to observe the election.

"In 2009, there was a widespread perception that the authorities at the so-called 'addition room' of the interior ministry manufactured millions of votes in favour of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad," noted the UK's public broadcaster.

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In spite of the lack of checks and balances, Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister encouraged Iranians to engage in the process.

"Despite all the efforts of the regime to control the process and the outcome, the hopes and aspirations of the Iranian people are not bound by the artificial choice that the regime has forced on Iranians," John Baird said in a statement, released on Thursday.

"While the regime tries to silence the voices of the Iranian people, Canada encourages Iranians to make their voices heard.

"Whether Iranian voters confide to close friends, express their criticism of the election through satire, cast a protest vote, participate in an online virtual vote or boycott the election altogether, Canada commends the bravery of all those who express their desire for freedom."

[ Related: Iran's polls open as voters decide successor to Ahmadinejad; some still ponder boycott ]

In the statement and on Twitter, Baird also touted the Foreign Affairs sponsored 'Global Dialogue on the Future of Iran' which encouraged citizen reporters in Iran to report elections violations.

Canada and Iran have had an adversarial relationship for the past several years. Citing Iran's nuclear program, its assistance to the government of Syria and its hostility towards Israel, the Harper government has publicly chided the regime, have shuddered their embassy in Iran and, just last month, said it would enforce a total trade ban on Iranian goods.

Even if the election count is done fairly, it's unlikely that things between Iran and Canada will change significantly. In Iran, the president only runs the country's day to day affairs, while the Supreme Leader has the final say.

Iranian-Canadian journalist Ebby Mohseni, who hosts a current affairs radio show in Vancouver, says he doesn't expect any difference in the relationship between the two countries.

"Which candidate do you vote for? They're all the same. None of them even have a platform," he told Yahoo! Canada News adding his opinion that the election process is "engineered by the regime."

"It's like if we had an election here with 6 different versions of Prime Minister Harper —they're all the same. So you have no choice."

[ Related: Iran Votes for New President ]

According to an Associated Press article, however, one candidate — nuclear negotiator Hasan Rowhani — is somewhat of a moderate who favours a less confrontational approach with the West and might be open to some reforms.

Maybe he's the 'lesser of all evils?'

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