Iranians vote in run-off presidential election amid widespread apathy
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A banner features presidential candidate Masoud Pezeshkian, the sole moderate in an original field of four candidates.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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DUBAI – Polls opened in Iran on July 5 for a run-off presidential election that will test the clerical rulers’ popularity amid voter apathy at a time of regional tensions and a stand-off with the West over Tehran’s nuclear programme.
State television said polling stations opened their doors to voters at 8am local time (12.30pm Singapore time). Polling was to end at 6pm (10.30pm Singapore time), but was extended by two hours.
The final result will be announced on July 6, although initial figures may come out sooner.
The run-off follows a June 28 ballot with a historic low turnout, when over 60 per cent of Iranian voters abstained from the snap election for a successor to Mr Ebrahim Raisi following his death in a helicopter crash in May.
The low participation is seen by critics as a vote of no confidence in the Islamic republic.
The vote is a tight race between low-key lawmaker Masoud Pezeshkian, the sole moderate in the original field of four candidates, and hardline former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, a staunch advocate of deepening ties with Russia and China.
While the election will have little impact on the Islamic republic’s policies, the president will be closely involved in selecting the successor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s 85-year-old Supreme Leader, who calls all the shots on top state matters.
“I have heard that people’s zeal and interest are higher than in the first round. May God make it this way, as this will be gratifying news,” Ayatollah Khamenei told state TV after casting his vote.
He acknowledged on July 3 “a lower than expected turnout”, but said “it is wrong to assume those who abstained in the first round are opposed to the Islamic rule”.
Voter turnout has plunged over the past four years. Critics say this shows support for the system has eroded amid growing public discontent over economic hardship and curbs on political and social freedoms.
Only 48 per cent of voters participated in the 2021 election that brought Mr Raisi to power, and the turnout was 41 per cent in the parliamentary elections in March.
However, an Interior Ministry spokesman told state TV that early reports indicated “higher participation compared with the same hour in the first round of the election”.
The election coincides with escalating regional tension due to the war between Israel and Iranian allies Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, as well as increased Western pressure on Iran over its fast-advancing nuclear programme.
“Voting gives power... even if there are criticisms, people should vote as each vote is like a missile launch (against enemies),” Iran’s Revolutionary Guards aerospace commander Amirali Hajizadeh told state media.
The next president is not expected to produce any major policy shift on Iran’s nuclear programme or change in support for militia groups across the Middle East, but he runs the government day to day and can influence the tone of the country’s foreign and domestic policy.
The rivals are establishment men loyal to Iran’s theocratic rule, but analysts said a win by anti-Westerner Mr Jalili would signal a potentially even more authoritarian domestic policy and antagonistic foreign policy.
A triumph by Mr Pezeshkian might promote a pragmatic foreign policy, ease tensions over now-stalled negotiations with major powers to revive the nuclear pact, and improve prospects for social liberalisation and political pluralism.
However, many voters are sceptical about Mr Pezeshkian’s ability to fulfil his campaign promises, as the former health minister has publicly stated that he had no intention of confronting the powerful security hawks and clerical rulers.
“I did not vote last week, but today I voted for Pezeshkian. I know Pezeshkian will be a lame-duck president, but still he is better than a hardliner,” said beauty salon owner Afarin, 37, in the central city of Isfahan.
Many Iranians still have painful memories of the handling of nationwide unrest sparked by the death in custody of a young Iranian-Kurdish woman, Ms Mahsa Amini,
“I will not vote. This is a big no to the Islamic republic because of Mahsa. I want a free country, I want a free life,” said university student Sepideh, 19, in Tehran.
The hashtag #ElectionCircus has been widely posted on social media platform X since last week, with some activists at home and abroad calling for an election boycott, arguing that a high turnout would legitimise the Islamic republic.
Both candidates have vowed to revive the flagging economy
“I will vote for Jalili. He believes in Islamic values. He has promised to end our economic hardships,” retired employee Mahmoud Hamidzadegan, 64, said in the northern city of Sari. REUTERS
