Supreme leader Khamenei’s protege Jalili edges ahead in tight Iran presidential race
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People arriving to cast their ballots at a polling place set up inside a mosque in Tehran, Iran, on June 28.
PHOTO: NYTIMES
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DUBAI – Mr Saeed Jalili, steadfastly loyal to Iran’s supreme leader, pushed slightly ahead of the sole moderate candidate as more votes were counted from a tightly controlled snap presidential election held amid growing public frustration and Western pressure.
Among more than 10.3 million ballots from the June 28 election counted so far, hardline former nuclear negotiator Jalili won over 4.26 million votes and his low-profile moderate challenger lawmaker Massoud Pezeshkian gained about 4.24 million, Interior Ministry official Mohsen Eslami told state TV on June 29.
Some insiders said the turnout was around 40 per cent, lower than expected by Iran’s clerical rulers, while witnesses told Reuters that polling stations in Tehran and some other cities were not crowded.
Iran’s Tasnim news agency said a run-off election was “very likely” to pick the next president following the death of Mr Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash.
The election coincides with escalating regional tension
While the election is unlikely to bring a major shift in the Islamic Republic’s policies, its outcome could influence the succession to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s 85-year-old supreme leader, in power since 1989.
The clerical establishment sought a high turnout to offset a legitimacy crisis fuelled by public discontent over economic hardship and curbs on political and social freedom.
The next president is not expected to usher in any major policy shift on Iran’s nuclear programme or support for militia groups across the Middle East, since Ayatollah Khamenei calls all the shots on top state matters.
But the president runs the government day-to-day and can influence the tone of Iran’s foreign and domestic policy.
Mr Jalili, a former diplomat, describes himself as a pious believer in velayat-e faqih, or rule by supreme jurisprudence, Iran’s system of Islamic government that provides the basis for Ayatollah Khamenei’s paramount position.
Limited choices
People casting their ballots at a polling place set up inside a parked bus in Tehran, Iran, on June 28.
PHOTO: NYTIMES
Iran’s presidential election is a contest among a tightly controlled group of three hardline candidates and one low-profile moderate loyal to the supreme leader.
A hardline watchdog body approved only six from an initial pool of 80 and two hardline candidates subsequently dropped out.
Mr Pezeshkian is backed by the reformist camp that has been largely sidelined in Iran in recent years.
Critics of Iran’s clerical rule say that low turnouts in recent years show the system’s legitimacy has eroded. Turnout was 48 per cent in the 2021 presidential election, and a record low of 41 per cent of people voted in a parliamentary election in March.
“Based on unconfirmed reports, the election is very likely heading to a second round. Based on the votes counted so far, Jalili and Pezeshkian will compete in a run-off election,” Tasnim reported.
If no candidate wins at least 50 per cent plus one vote from all ballots cast, including blank votes, a run-off between the top two candidates is held on the first Friday after the result is declared.
All candidates have vowed to revive the flagging economy, beset by mismanagement, state corruption and sanctions re-imposed since 2018, after the US ditched Tehran’s 2015 nuclear pact with six world powers.
“I think Jalili is the only candidate who raised the issue of justice, fighting corruption and giving value to the poor... Most importantly, he does not link Iran’s foreign policy to the nuclear deal,” said 45-year-old Farzan, an artist in the city of Karaj.
Divided voters
Mr Pezeshkian is faithful to Iran’s theocratic rule, but advocates detente with the West, economic reform, social liberalisation and political pluralism.
“We will respect the hijab law, but there should never be any intrusive or inhumane behaviour towards women,” Mr Pezeshkian said after casting his vote.
He was referring to the death of Ms Mahsa Amini, a young Kurdish woman, while in morality police custody for allegedly violating the mandatory Islamic dress code in 2022.
The unrest sparked by Ms Amini’s death spiralled into the biggest show of opposition to Iran’s clerical rulers in years.
Mr Pezeshkian attempted to revive the enthusiasm of reform-minded voters, who have largely stayed away from the polls for the last four years as a mostly youthful population chafes at political and social curbs. He could also benefit from his rivals’ failure to consolidate the hardline vote.
“I feel Pezeshkian represents both traditional and liberal thoughts,” said architect Pirouz, 45, who added that he had planned to boycott the vote until he learned more about Mr Pezeshkian’s plans.
In the past few weeks, Iranians have made wide use of the hashtag #ElectionCircus on social media platform X, with some activists at home and abroad calling for a boycott, saying a high turnout would only serve to legitimise the Islamic Republic.
“The youth were punished... young girls were killed on the streets... We can’t easily move on from that... After all that happened, it’s unconscionable to vote,” said 55-year-old writer Shahrzad Afrasheh.
In the 2022/2023 protests, more than 500 people including 71 minors were killed, hundreds were injured and thousands arrested, rights groups said. REUTERS
