The presidential election will be held on the 18th in Iran, the Middle East, which has been in fierce conflict with the United States.
What kind of person is running for?
What is the impact on international affairs?
Reporter Takeshi Togawa of the Tehran branch will explain.
Q How does Iran's presidential system work?
The President of Iran is elected by a direct vote by citizens over the age of 18.
The term of office is four years, and you can serve up to two consecutive terms and eight years.
He establishes a government and takes command of economic and foreign policy, but he is the head of government and the second most powerful person.
At the top of the country is Khamenei, the supreme leader of Islamic law scholars.
He has a life-long term and has been in power for over 30 years since 1989.
For this reason, the president must follow the policies of the Supreme Leader on important security matters, such as how to establish a relationship with the United States in conflict and what to do with nuclear development.
Nevertheless, the quarterly presidential election is attracting attention both domestically and internationally as a rare opportunity for the voice of the people to be reflected in politics.
Q Who is the president now?
President Hassan Rouhani was elected in the 2013 presidential election and then re-elected.
It is a moderate group that has set up a dialogue line with Europe and the United States and has signed a "nuclear agreement" that promises significant restrictions on nuclear development.
I have already served for two terms, so I cannot run for this time.
The term of office is until August, and he will be replaced by a new president.
Q Who is running for this presidential election?
The election started with seven candidates, but there were a series of decliners, and in the final stage there was a battle of four.
The four can be divided into two political groups that have been fiercely competing in past elections.
One is the "conservative hardliners" who aim to maintain anti-American diplomacy and a social system with a strict interpretation of religion.
Three people, including those from military organizations and members of the Diet, are running.
It is also characterized by the fact that there are many supporters in the military and religious circles, and many are enthusiastic supporters of Khamenei.
The other is the "moderate / reformist" who takes a dialogue with Europe and the United States.
The old man is running for one person who served as the governor of the central bank under the two administrations, but his name is not very high.
The "moderate and reformers" are characterized by a large number of supporters in the younger generation and middle class, and have supported President Rouhani in the past two elections.
Of these, the reformers are at the center of their appeal for the realization of a more free society.
Q What are the strong candidates?
The conservative hardliner Raishi is the most influential.
He served as the head of the judiciary and has been evaluated as having demonstrated his skills in detecting corruption.
It is highly trusted by Khamenei and boasts outstanding recognition among the seven.
Some high-ranking Islamic law scholars analyze that they may eventually succeed Khamenei, who is 82 years old and aged.
Meanwhile, international human rights groups have criticized him for being involved in the crackdown on dissidents in the past.
Also, I have no diplomatic experience.
I ran for the 2017 presidential election last time, but lost to the re-elected President Hassan Rouhani.
If Rev. Raishi is elected, conservative hardliners will regain power for the first time in eight years.
Q How do the people see this election?
It is also referred to as an "no choice" election.
In Iran's elections, candidates are pre-screened, but this time, both moderate and reformist candidates have been disqualified.
Judging criteria range from 40 to 75 years old, with a master's degree or above, and whether or not they are faithful to the Islamic system.
In the election, 592 people had submitted their candidacy, but the reason was not revealed, and the number was eventually narrowed down to seven.
This examination is conducted by the "Constitutional Council" created by Islamic law scholars.
An organization influential by the Supreme Leader, who has the right to appoint Islamic law scholars.
A diplomatic official familiar with Iran's elections said, "It looks like an examination to win Master Raishi. It may be a stepping stone to the Supreme Leader."
Q What is the impact of narrowing down the candidates?
It has been pointed out that while conservative hardliners dominate, turnout may drop significantly.
There is also a movement on SNS calling for a boycott of voting, centered on moderate and reformers.
This is the 13th presidential election since the establishment of the current Islamic system in 1979, and it is predicted that the voter turnout will be the lowest ever.
The official name of Iran is "Iran's Islamic Republic", but some people are sarcastic asking "Where is the republic?"
President Hassan Rouhani also made unusual criticisms, stating that "the election without competition is over."
If the turnout is too low, the legitimacy of the current system could be questioned, and the leadership is calling on the public to vote.
Q How is the Rouhani administration's eight years evaluated by the public?
The Rouhani administration has reached a nuclear agreement in search of a dialogue route with Europe and the United States, but the current situation is that its evaluation is extremely low.
The cause is the economy.
The nuclear deal, which was a signboard policy, has become dysfunctional due to the withdrawal of the former Trump administration in the United States and the imposition of economic sanctions.
The value of the local currency plummeted to one-sixth of the dollar.
Unprecedented inflation is putting pressure on people's lives.
The term is expected to end with the economy exhausted.
Originally, it was hoped that dialogue would connect with the world and enrich the country, but those expectations have turned into disappointment.
In the first place, the candidates have been narrowed down, but there is no enthusiasm among the supporters who gave birth to President Hassan Rouhani eight years ago.
Q If conservative hardliners regain power, what is their relationship with the United States?
The immediate focus is on the whereabouts of the nuclear deal.
Iran is currently in indirect talks with the Biden administration, which is reviewing the foreign policy of the former Trump administration, in an attempt to rebuild the nuclear deal.
One of the focal points is the lifting of sanctions on Iran, which the leading candidate, Raishi, said, "I will never waste to lift the oppressive sanctions."
Given that the Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, has made similar claims, it is unlikely that he will immediately stop negotiations and revoke the agreement himself.
However, he insists that he will not use the nuclear agreement as a threatening tool for the United States and will not accept excessive demands, and he remains bullish.
Some expect a more rigid diplomatic stance without showing concessions or flexibility.
For the United States, there is no doubt that it will be a “harder administration” than the Rouhani administration, and tensions may rise again in the future.
Q It seems that the world situation will also be affected.
in Japan?
As the nuclear deal collapses and Iran moves toward strengthening nuclear development, military tensions will increase with the opposing United States and Israel.
If the situation in the Middle East becomes unstable, it will affect Japan, which depends on this region for crude oil.
First of all, we will pay attention to whether the conservative hardliner Raishi will win the election as expected, and what kind of foreign policy will be launched after that.