lIranians vote on Friday in a presidential election with no clear favourite and only one reformist candidate in a divided conservative camp.
According to the criteria of
Nearly 61 million Iranians are called to vote at one of the 58,640 polling stations spread throughout the country, from the Caspian Sea in the north to the Gulf in the south.
The elections had to be hastily organised following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash on 19 May.
The elections are closely followed abroad because Iran, a heavyweight in the Middle East, is at the center of several crises, from the war in Gaza to the issue of its nuclear program.
Following tradition, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameneithe most important position in the political and religious structure of the Islamic Republic, was one of the first to vote in front of cameras at a center in Tehran.
“Election Day is a day of joy and happiness for us Iranians,” he said. “We urge our dear people to take the vote seriously and participate in it. I see no reason to hesitate,” he added.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei arrives at a polling station to cast his ballot during the presidential election in Tehran on June 28, 2024.
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Four candidates, all men over fifty, are in the running, after two other candidates, more radical conservatives, withdrew the day before the contest.
If none of the candidates wins more than half of the votes, a second round will be held on July 5, something that has only happened once, in 2005, since the Islamic Republic was founded 45 years ago.
Official results are expected on Sunday, but the first estimates will be published on Saturday.
With his discreet appearance and straightforward manner, this doctor of Azeri origin, a minority from north-west Iran, has given new hope to reformists and moderates, marginalised in recent years by more radical conservatives and hardliners.
The surprise could come from the only one reformist candidate, Masud Pezeshkian, a 69-year-old MP who was virtually unknown until the Guardian Council, the authority that oversees elections, gave him permission to stand.
With his discreet appearance and speaking bluntly, this doctor of Azeri origin, a minority in northwestern Iran, has given new hope to reformists and moderates, marginalized in recent years by the most radical conservatives and conservatives.
He is “honest, fair and caring,” said former reformist President Mohammad Khatami (1997-2005), who gave him his support, as did former moderate President Hassan Rouhani (2013-2021).
Mitra, a 47-year-old woman, says that will vote for Pezeshkian in the hope that her daughter can “go out on the street without problems.”
“He promised that he would put an end to the morality police,” whose role is to ensure that women wear the veil in public places, she adds.
Iranian presidential candidate and reformist Massoud Pezeshkian votes during the presidential elections in Tehran on June 28, 2024.
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Debate on the veil
Pezeshkian faces, among others, two supporters of the current government, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, president of Parliament, and Said Jalili, a radical conservative who participated in international negotiations on the Iranian nuclear program and is opposed to a rapprochement with the West.
To win, Pezeshkian needs a significant increase in participation compared to the 2021 elections, in which only 49% of the voters voted.
“I no longer participate in any elections,” says Hosein, a 45-year-old electrician in central Tehran. The Islamic Republic “cannot be reformed, whether a reformist or a conservative is elected”he thinks.
“The elections did not improve the situation, on the contrary,” adds Pedram, a 50-year-old civil servant who says he voted for Ebrahim Raisi in 2021.
The president of Iran has limited powers and is responsible for implementing, at the head of the government, the main political lines set out by the supreme leader, the head of state.
The President of Iran has limited powers and is responsible for implementing, at the head of government, the main political lines set out by the Supreme Leader, the Head of State.
During the campaign debates, the radical conservative Jalili criticized the moderates for having signed an agreement in 2015 with the main world powers, which aimed to guarantee that Iran’s nuclear program is civil in exchange for relief from sanctions. economic
“It did not benefit Iran at all,” he said.
“Are we supposed to remain eternally hostile to the United States or do we aspire to resolve our problems with this country?” replied Pezeshkian, who wants to relaunch negotiations to lift the sanctions that are hampering Iran’s economy.
The issue of compulsory veiling was also raised during the campaign, almost two years after the mass protest movement that shook the country following the death of Mahsa Amini, arrested for violating the strict dress code imposed on women.
In televised debates, The candidates avoided clearly supporting the arrests of women who refuse to wear the veil in public places. “We should not treat Iranian women so cruelly under any circumstances,” said Mustafa Pourmohammadi, the only cleric in the race.
Protesters are calling on the United Nations to take action against the treatment of women in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini.
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