Presidential in Iran: Ebrahim Raïssi favorite, participation a real issue
In Tehran, voters show their support for the conservative candidate Ebrahim Raïssi.
June 16, 2021. via REUTERS - WANA NEWS AGENCY
Text by: Siavosh Ghazi
7 mins
A little more than 59 million Iranians are called to the polls this Friday, June 18 to elect their new president for a period of four years.
The Council of Guardians of the Constitution, an oversight body responsible for validating candidacies and overseeing elections, selected just seven candidates.
Since three have withdrawn, and today, the conservative candidate Ebrahim Raïssi remains the main favorite.
Publicity
Read more
From our correspondent in Tehran,
Many political figures, including the former ultraconservative president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former speaker of parliament, Ali Larijani, or the current first vice-president Es-Hagh Jahanguiri have been rejected to everyone's surprise. Despite protests, the Council refused to reverse its decision. Among the seven candidates, there were two moderates and five conservatives. In the meantime, one of the two moderate candidates and
two ultra-conservatives have withdrawn from the race
.
There is now the moderate Abdolnasser Hemati, who is supported by some of the reformers and the conservative Ebrahim Raïssi, currently head of the judiciary, who are the two main candidates remaining in the running.
There is also Mohsen Rezai, a former leader of the Revolutionary Guards, who is unlucky.
For the past twenty years, he has been running for all presidential elections.
Abdolnasser Hemati, the outsider
Ebrahim Raïssi, the conservative candidate leaves favorite.
According to the latest polls, he would get more than 60% of the vote in the first round. It is supported by all power. Facing him, Abdolnasser Hemati, was very combative during the televised debates against the conservatives. But he failed to mobilize all the reformist and moderate parties behind his name. If some of the reformers support him, like the former president Mohammad Khatami, other personalities and formations of the reformer camp refused to support him. He needs a broad mobilization of the moderate electorate to prevent the election of Ebrahim Raïssi. But a large part of this electorate is very disappointed by President Rouhani's record and should abstain.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calls for voting
Participation is also an important political game, a real stake for power.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei himself urged voters not to shy away from the ballot box.
He said he understood the discontent of the disadvantaged classes affected by the economic crisis and rampant inflation, but he said the solution was not abstention.
According to a latest poll, only 42% of voters say they are certain to vote.
Four years ago the turnout was over 70%.
It is a sign of the very broad social and economic discontent.
The challenge of the moderate candidate will be to mobilize the electorate of his camp to obtain at least a second round.
We will have to wait for the announcement of the results to know if he will have succeeded in his bet.
In the second round, his task will be simpler.
During the legislative elections of last year, abstention had already reached a record with a rate of 57% ...
Iran: abstention, main presidential candidate
Oriane Verdier
Newsletter
Receive all international news directly in your mailbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
google-play-badge_FR
Iran
Ali Khamenei