Iranian citizens headed to the polls on June 28 to elect a new president amid rising public frustration and geopolitical tensions. The election follows the tragic death of former president Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash. The election is occurring during a period of heightened regional tension and increasing Western scrutiny of Iran’s nuclear activities.
More than 61 million Iranians over the age of 18 were eligible to vote, with about 18 million of them between the age of 18 to 30. Voting continued into Friday night as polling hours were extended twice. Iranian state TV reported that polling stations would remain open until midnight to allow everyone to vote.
Here is all you need to know about this election -:
Candidates and political landscape
For the election, the Guardian Council had approved six candidates, All loyal to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. However, two of them — Alireza Zakani and Amir-Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi — dropped out of the race. The candidates remaining in the fray were Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Saeed Jalili, Masoud Pezeshkian and Mostafa Pourmohammadi.
Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf: Current Speaker of Parliament and former mayor of Tehran, Qalibaf is expected to come out on top in this election. He is known for his hardline stances and involvement in a violent crackdown against student protesters.
Saeed Jalili: He was the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and Iran’s top nuclear negotiator. Jalili is a staunch hardliner with deep ties to the regime. He has often advocated for strict adherence to revolutionary principles.
Masoud Pezeshkian: The former health minister and the only reformist candidate in the race, Pezeshkian’s inclusion on the ballot is seen as an attempt to increase voter turnout by appealing to more liberal voters. He hopes to revive the nuclear deal.
Pezeshkian aligns himself with figures like former President Hassan Rouhani, under whose administration Tehran struck the landmark 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. He also advocates detente with the West, economic reform, social liberalization, and political pluralism.
Reformist candidate for the Iranian presidential election Masoud Pezeshkian casts his ballot as he waves to media in a polling station, in Tehran, Iran, Friday, June 28, 2024. (Majid Khahi, ISNA via AP)
Mostafa Pourmohammadi: He is the only cleric among the candidates, with past roles as Interior minister and Justice minister. Pourmohammadi is known for his involvement in the 1980s mass executions of political prisoners.
Meanwhile, the latest poll by Iranian state television, released on Wednesday, the final day of campaigning, showed Pezeshkian leading with 23.5 percent, followed by Qalibaf at 16.9 percent and Jalili at 16.3 percent. Meanwhile, 28.5 percent of respondents were undecided, and the remaining percentage was divided among other candidates, including those who had dropped out.
Call for high turnout
Khamenei has emphasized the importance of voter turnout to counteract a perceived legitimacy crisis. Public dissatisfaction has been growing due to economic hardships and restrictions on political and social freedoms. “The durability, strength, dignity, and reputation of the Islamic Republic depend on people’s presence,” Khamenei told state television after casting his vote. He stressed that a high turnout was essential.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei casts his ballot during the presidential election, in Tehran, Iran, Friday, June 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
In recent elections, voter turnout has been declining, signaling an erosion in the system’s legitimacy. The 2021 presidential election saw a turnout of just 48 percent, and the parliamentary election in March 2023 reached a record low of 41 percent. Despite this trend, state television broadcast scenes of long queues at polling stations, with polling extended for four additional hours due to high voter demand. If no candidate secures over 50 percent of the vote, a runoff will be held.
There has been only one runoff presidential election in Iran’s history, in 2005, when hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad bested former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.
Public sentiment and key issues
Many voters are concerned about ongoing economic issues, aggravated by mismanagement, state corruption, and the re-imposition of sanctions following the withdrawal of the United States from the 2015 nuclear deal. The candidates have all pledged to revive the struggling economy. Jalili has gained support for his stance on justice, fighting corruption, and maintaining a foreign policy independent of the nuclear deal. Pezeshkian aims to appeal to reform-minded voters, who have been largely disengaged in recent elections.
People line up to get their ballots to vote in the presidential election at a polling station in Tehran, Iran, Friday, June 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Further, the election occurs amid escalating regional conflicts, including the war between Israel and Iran’s allies, Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Additionally, the West has been pressuring Iran over its advancing nuclear program. Despite these tensions, Khamenei maintains control over major state policies, including the nuclear program and support for regional militias.
Public frustration has been high, especially following the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022 while in morality police custody for allegedly violating Islamic dress codes. The incident sparked widespread protests, the largest show of opposition to Iran’s clerical rulers in years. Over 500 people, including 71 minors, were killed, and thousands were arrested during these protests, according to rights groups.
Voter division and social media campaigns
The election has divided voters, with some calling for a boycott, with the hashtag #ElectionCircus on social media. Critics argue that a high turnout would only legitimize the current regime.
The voting started just after US President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump concluded their first televised debate ahead of the presidential election. In the debate, Trump described Iran as “broke” under his administration and highlighted his decision to launch a drone strike that killed Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani in 2020. That attack was part of a spiral of escalating tensions between America and Iran since Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers in 2018.
Iranian citizens wait in queue to cast their votes during the presidential election at a polling station inside the Iranian embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, June 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
While apathy remains high in most urban areas, voters in provinces with significant ethnic populations of Azeri Turks and Kurds are expected to turn out in higher numbers for Pezeshkian. As an Azeri Turk and former member of parliament for Tabriz, a major economic hub in the northwest province of East Azerbaijan, Pezeshkian has a strong connection with these communities. He has also delivered campaign speeches in his native Turkish and Kurdish.
As the votes are counted, the world watches closely to see how these internal and external pressures will shape Iran’s future.
(With inputs from Reuters and AP)