Iranian voters are faced with a choice between two very different candidates in the upcoming presidential election: former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili and moderate Masoud Pezeshkian. The election was called after the death of conservative President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in May. Preliminary results from the interior ministry could be available as early as Saturday.
The elections in Iran are tightly controlled, with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei holding the most power over domestic and foreign affairs. The election comes amid deep voter apathy, with only 40% of eligible voters participating in the first round ballot.
Jalili is known as a rigid ideologue and hard-line opponent of the U.S., while Pezeshkian has signaled a more moderate approach, favoring less hostile foreign policy and easing some social restrictions. Both candidates have previously run for president, with Jalili losing his right leg fighting in Iran’s war with Iraq in the 1980s.
The outcome of the election is important as the next president will play a role in selecting Iran’s next supreme leader, with Khamenei currently 85 years old. Elections in Iran are seen as a way to legitimize the power of the ruling elite, and this election comes at a time of high tensions with Israel, economic struggles due to U.S. sanctions, and ongoing protests against social laws.
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