Iran Votes for New President Amid Restricted Candidate Selection
On Friday, Iranians began casting their votes in the Iranian elections, for a new president following the tragic passing of Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash. They are selecting from a carefully vetted group of four candidates, all loyal to the supreme leader, during a period of increasing public dissatisfaction.
Polling stations opened at 8:00 a.m. (0430 GMT) and are scheduled to close at 6:00 p.m. (1430 GMT), though it is common for voting hours to be extended until midnight.
The election is taking place amid growing regional tensions, involving Israel, Hamas in Gaza, and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Additionally, Western nations are ramping up pressure on Iran concerning its rapidly advancing nuclear program.
Although the election is not expected to significantly alter the Islamic Republic’s policies, the results could impact the succession of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s 85-year-old supreme leader who has held power since 1989. Khamenei urged for a strong voter turnout to counter a legitimacy crisis driven by economic struggles and restrictions on political and social freedoms. “The durability, strength, dignity, and reputation of the Islamic Republic depend on the presence of people,” Khamenei stated on state television after voting. “High turnout is a definite necessity.”
Over the past four years, voter turnout has significantly dropped as the predominantly young population grows increasingly frustrated with political and social restrictions. Due to manual ballot counting, the final results are expected in two days, although preliminary figures may be available sooner. If no candidate secures more than 50 percent plus one of the total votes, including blank ballots, a runoff between the top two candidates will take place on the first Friday after the election results are announced.
Among the candidates, three are hardliners, while one is a relatively moderate figure supported by the reformist faction, which has been largely marginalized in recent years. Critics argue that the declining voter turnout in recent elections indicates a waning legitimacy for Iran’s clerical rule. Only 48% of voters participated in the 2021 election that brought Raisi to power, and turnout dropped to a record low of 41% in a parliamentary election three months ago.
The incoming president is not expected to make significant changes to Iran’s nuclear policy or its support for militia groups in the Middle East, as Khamenei holds ultimate authority over major state matters. However, the president manages the day-to-day operations of the government and can influence Iran’s foreign and domestic policy tone.
A hardline watchdog body, consisting of six clerics and six jurists aligned with Khamenei, rigorously vets the candidates. From an initial pool of 80, only six were approved, with two hardline candidates later withdrawing. Notable among the remaining hardliners are Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the parliament speaker and former Revolutionary Guards commander, and Saeed Jalili, a former nuclear negotiator who worked in Khamenei’s office for four years.
The sole moderate candidate, Massoud Pezeshkian, remains loyal to Iran’s theocratic rule but supports easing tensions with the West, economic reforms, social liberalization, and political pluralism. His success depends on reigniting the enthusiasm of reform-minded voters who have largely abstained from voting in the past four years due to the lack of substantial change from previous pragmatic presidents. He might also gain from his opponents’ inability to unite the hardline vote.
All four candidates have pledged to rejuvenate the struggling economy, which suffers from mismanagement, state corruption, and sanctions reinstated since 2018 after the U.S. withdrew from Tehran’s 2015 nuclear agreement with six world powers.
Recently, many Iranians have used the hashtag #ElectionCircus on X, with some activists, both domestic and international, advocating for an election boycott, arguing that high voter turnout would legitimize the Islamic Republic.
