The Iranians will go to the polls today to elect a new president, Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said on public television, a month and a half after the crash of the helicopter carrying Ibrahim Raisi.
Voters are asked to choose four candidates from a tightly controlled group loyal to the supreme leader, as popular discontent grows.
Sensitive Structure
These presidential elections, initially scheduled for 2025, take place in a sensitive context for the Islamic Republic, which must simultaneously manage internal tensions and geopolitical risks, from the war in Gaza to the nuclear issue, just five months since the presidential election in the United States United, your sworn enemy.
Although the electoral campaign started without passion, this year’s elections are more controversial than the previous ones, in 2021, thanks to the presence of the reformist Masoud Pezeskian, who has established himself as one of the three favorites.
His two main opponents are the conservative speaker of parliament, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, and Saeed Jalili, the former ultraconservative negotiator for Iran’s nuclear program.
This competition could lead to a second round, something that has not happened since the creation of the Islamic Republic 45 years ago, except in a presidential election in 2005.
To have a chance of winning the election, Masoud Pezeskian must hope for a strong turnout, unlike the 2021 presidential election, which was marked by a record abstention of 51%, as no reformist candidate was allowed to run.
On Tuesday, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on Iranians to go to the polls en masse for “high turnout.”
With information from APE-MPE, Reuters, AFP