Iran
An Iranian woman casts her ballot in the presidential election at a polling station in Tehran, on June 18, 2021. Photo: Atta Kenare/AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Iranians are going to the polls to elect a new president after a campaign that failed to stir interest among voters, disillusioned under crippling sanctions, the coronavirus pandemic, and an all but certain outcome of hardliner Ebrahim Raisi winning the vote. The chief justice has been tipped to win since the Guardian Council that vets candidates barred his main rivals from running.
Raisi campaigned on a promise to tackle corruption. His candidacy has sparked outrage because of his role in 1988 prison massacres. He also ran in the 2017 election, securing 38 percent of the vote.
Abdolnasser Hemmati, an economist and head of the central bank, is hoping to secure the moderate vote.
Amirhossein Ghazizadeh-Hashemi, a doctor, and Mohsen Rezai, former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), are also running. Three others dropped out of the race in the last days of the campaign – Saeed Jalili, Alireza Zakani, and Mohsen Mehralizadeh.
Turnout is expected to be a record low and campaigns for a boycott have gained traction on social media.
“For years I have participated in elections in hope of change, however it gets worse every year,” Arif Amini, a retired teacher from Saqqez, told Rudaw English. Kurdish voters helped to propel outgoing President Hassan Rouhani to victory, but after the economy crumbled under sanctions, inflation soared, and people lost jobs and savings, most say they won’t vote.
Kurdish opposition parties backed calls for the boycott. “Free elections are fundamental to democracy and human rights and they show the free will of the people to choose a government. This does not exist in Iran,” Abdullah Mohtadi, leader of the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan (Rojhelat), said in a panel discussion on Wednesday.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who cast his ballot Friday morning, urged people to get out and vote. “No one should say their one vote isn’t effective. Every single vote is definitely important,” he said.
Raisi campaigned on a promise to tackle corruption. His candidacy has sparked outrage because of his role in 1988 prison massacres. He also ran in the 2017 election, securing 38 percent of the vote.
Abdolnasser Hemmati, an economist and head of the central bank, is hoping to secure the moderate vote.
Amirhossein Ghazizadeh-Hashemi, a doctor, and Mohsen Rezai, former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), are also running. Three others dropped out of the race in the last days of the campaign – Saeed Jalili, Alireza Zakani, and Mohsen Mehralizadeh.
Turnout is expected to be a record low and campaigns for a boycott have gained traction on social media.
“For years I have participated in elections in hope of change, however it gets worse every year,” Arif Amini, a retired teacher from Saqqez, told Rudaw English. Kurdish voters helped to propel outgoing President Hassan Rouhani to victory, but after the economy crumbled under sanctions, inflation soared, and people lost jobs and savings, most say they won’t vote.
Kurdish opposition parties backed calls for the boycott. “Free elections are fundamental to democracy and human rights and they show the free will of the people to choose a government. This does not exist in Iran,” Abdullah Mohtadi, leader of the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan (Rojhelat), said in a panel discussion on Wednesday.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who cast his ballot Friday morning, urged people to get out and vote. “No one should say their one vote isn’t effective. Every single vote is definitely important,” he said.
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