Two candidates, a reformist and an ultraconservative, will face off in Iran’s presidential runoff election on Friday amid record-low voter turnout and widespread apathy about the prospect of meaningful change at the ballot box.
The runoff election follows a special vote held after the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in May.
What happened in the first round of elections in Iran?
About 40 percent of voters, a record low, turned out to poll last Friday, and none of the four candidates on the ballot received the 50 percent of the vote needed to win the election.
Reformist candidate Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian, a former health minister, and Saeed Jalili, a far-right politician and former nuclear negotiator, received the majority of votes, sending the election to a runoff on Friday.
Dr. Pezeshkian advanced because the conservative vote was split between two candidates, with one of them receiving less than 1 percent.
The second round could see a slightly higher turnout. Some Iranians said on social media that they feared Jalili’s hardline policies and would vote for Pezeshkian. Polls show that about half of the votes for Jalili’s conservative rival in the first round, Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf, have been redirected to Pezeshkian.
Who are the two candidates in the second round?
Experts said Dr. Pezeshkian would most likely boost voter turnout among supporters of the reformist party and people who boycotted the March parliamentary elections and the 2021 presidential election. Dr. Pezeshkian has said he will work with the West on nuclear negotiations to lift harsh economic sanctions affecting Iran’s economy.
Mr Jalili, on the other hand, has taken a much tougher stance in the negotiations and has said in discussions that he plans to defeat sanctions and strengthen economic ties with other countries.
Iran’s nuclear and major state policies are decided by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has given the government the green light to indirectly reach out to the United States to lift sanctions. Those negotiations are likely to continue regardless of who is president.
Will Iranians turn out to vote?
Although Iranians have historically participated heavily in elections, many have abstained from voting in the last elections to protest against a government they consider inept and indifferent to their demands. Many no longer believe that voting will change their lives and have called for an end to clerical rule.
Mr. Ghalibaf called on his supporters to vote for Mr. Jalili in the runoff, but many of his supporters, including some of his campaign managers, have switched to Dr. Pezeshkian’s side, saying Mr. Jalili was destructive to Iran’s future and would increase tensions domestically and internationally.
In the 2013 presidential election, Iranians turned out to vote for reformist candidate Hassan Rouhani, whose campaign promises included a more open country and fewer social restrictions. President Donald J. Trump effectively dashed hopes for cooperation in 2018 by withdrawing from a nuclear deal with Iran and reimposing sanctions.
When Rouhani was succeeded by the conservative Raisi, prospects for improving social freedoms diminished.
Are these elections free and fair?
The Guardian Council, a 12-person group made up of jurists and clerics, has been accused by numerous human rights organizations of manipulating the elections by depriving the public of the ability to choose the candidates running. The group narrowed a list of 80 candidates to six for this election, disqualifying seven women, a former president and many government officials.
Why is this election important?
The election is a chance for the government to show it can handle the unexpected death of a president without descending into chaos amid domestic protests against the Islamic Republic and tensions with the United States and Israel.
If Mr Jalili is elected, the government will most likely declare victory for his ideological brand of politics.
While the supreme leader is the country’s top authority and is responsible for foreign policy, the president sets domestic policy and can influence social issues such as Iran’s mandatory hijab law for women.
Six years after the United States withdrew from its nuclear deal with Iran, it remains unclear what role the new president will play in managing the nuclear program. It is an issue that has become increasingly pressing for the West as tensions between Israel and Iran rise.
What are the main problems?
The economic crisis, US sanctions and women’s rights are all major issues in the election, as many Iranians have lost faith in a government they see as incapable of bringing about change.
The sanctions have weakened the country’s already struggling economy. Public frustration has grown, with some sensing a disconnect between leaders who preach austerity and modesty while their families spend lavishly abroad.
When will the results of the second round be known?
The Interior Ministry announced that a second round of voting would be held the day after the first round of voting. The authorities are likely to publish at least preliminary results on Saturday.
