Tehran: The Islamic Republic of Iran is all set to vote on June 18 to elect a successor to President Hassan Rouhani, whose term limits prevented him from running for the post again. The president of Iran, who is elected for a four-year term by direct suffrage, is not allowed to run for a third consecutive term.
President Hassan Rouhani was first elected as the President in 2013, followed by 2017.
Seven candidates will compete on June 18 to win Iran’s presidential election, with each candidate starting his own campaign promising to improve the difficult economic and living conditions the country is currently experiencing.
Of the 600 people registered, 40 met the council’s basic criteria, and only seven were approved.
Head of the judiciary, Ibrahim Raisi, a 60-year-old, is said to be a top contender. “I have come as an independent… to make changes in the executive management of the country and to fight poverty, corruption, humiliation and discrimination,” Reuters quoted Raisi as speaking to the local media before registering his candidature.
The other candidates include former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, former revolutionary guard commander Mohsen Rezaei, former lawmaker Ali Reza Zakani, lawmaker Amir Hossein Ghazizadeh, former provincial governor Mohsen Mehralizadeh, and the current head of Iran’s central bank Abdolnasser Hemmati.
As per media reports, more than 59 million people are eligible to vote, of whom about 1.4 million are first-time voters. Many observers believe voter turnout will be as low as last year’s parliamentary elections amid the COVID-19 pandemic.