Two candidates, a reformist and an ultraconservative, will face off in the second round of Iran’s presidential election on Friday, amid historic low voter turnout and widespread apathy about the possibility of meaningful change through the ballot box.
The runoff election follows a special vote held after President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash in May.
What happened in the first round of elections in Iran?
About 40 percent of voters, a historically low level, I went to the polls last Friday, and none of the four candidates in the running received the 50% of the vote needed to win the election.
Reformist candidate Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian, a former health minister, and Saeed Jalili, a hardliner and former nuclear negotiator, received the most votes, prompting a runoff election on Friday.
Dr. Pezeshkian advanced because the conservative vote was split between two candidates, with one getting less than 1 percent of the vote.
The second round could see slightly higher turnout. Some Iranians have said on social media that they fear Mr. Jalili’s hardline policies and will vote for Dr. Pezeshkian. Polls show that about half the votes for Mr. Jalili’s conservative first-round rival, Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf, went to Dr. Pezeshkian.
Who are the two candidates in the second round?
Experts said Dr. Pezeshkian was most likely to increase voter turnout among reformist party supporters and people who boycotted the March parliamentary elections and the 2021 presidential election. Dr. Pezeshkian said he would engage with the West in nuclear negotiations to lift the heavy economic sanctions weighing on Iran’s economy.
In contrast, Mr Jalili has taken a much harder line on negotiations and has said during debates that he plans to overcome sanctions and strengthen economic ties with other countries.
Iran’s nuclear policy and major state policies are decided by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He has given the government the green light to negotiate indirectly with the United States to lift sanctions. These negotiations are likely to continue regardless of who is elected president.
Will Iranians Vote?
Although Iranians have always been extremely involved in elections, many of them have abstained Voters cast their ballots in the last election to protest a government they see as incompetent and out of touch with their demands. Many no longer believe that voting will make any difference in their lives and have called for an end to clerical rule.
Mr. Ghalibaf urged his supporters to vote for Mr. Jalili in the runoff, but many of his supporters, including some of his campaign managers, joined Dr. Pezeshkian’s camp, saying that Mr. Jalili was destructive to Iran’s future and would increase tensions domestically and internationally.
Iranians voted in the 2013 presidential election for reformist candidate Hassan Rouhani, whose campaign promises included a more open country and fewer social restrictions. President Donald J. Trump effectively ended hopes for cooperation in 2018 by withdrawing from the nuclear deal with Iran and reimposing sanctions.
When the conservative Mr Raisi succeeded Mr Rohani, prospects for improved social freedoms diminished.
Is this election free and fair?
The Guardian Council, a 12-person group of jurists and clerics, has been accused by many human rights groups of manipulating the election by denying the public the chance to choose which candidates would run. It narrowed the list of 80 candidates to six for this election, disqualifying seven women, a former president and numerous government officials.
Why is this election important?
The elections are an opportunity for the government to show that it can handle the unexpected death of a president without falling into disarray, amid internal protests against the Islamic Republic and tensions with the United States and Israel.
If Mr Jalili is elected, the government will most likely claim victory for its ideological policies.
While the supreme leader is the country’s ultimate authority and is responsible for foreign policy, the president sets domestic policy and can influence social issues such as Iran’s foreign policy. law on compulsory hijab for women.
Six years after the United States withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal, the new president’s role in managing Iran’s nuclear program remains unclear. A question that is becoming increasingly pressing for the West as tensions between Israel and Iran escalate.
What are the main issues?
The struggling economy, U.S. sanctions and women’s rights are the main issues in the election, as many Iranians have lost faith in a government they see as incapable of delivering change.
The sanctions have weakened the country’s already struggling economy. Public frustration has grown, with some seeing a disconnect between leaders who advocate 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 would be held the day after polls closed. Authorities are likely to release preliminary results by Saturday.
