The early presidential elections They started this Friday in Iran without a clear favorite and between citizen indifference due to the poor economic situation and disenchantment with the Islamic Republic.
Some 58,000 polling stations They opened their doors at 08:00 local time (4:30 GMT) and are scheduled to close at 6:00 pm (14:30 GMT) throughout the country, where More than 61 million people are called to the pollsthe agency reported Fars.
Without a clear favorite, Iranians will decide between the pragmatic conservative Mohamed Baqer Qalibafthe ultraconservative Saeed Jalili and the reformist Masoud Pezeshkian to succeed the president Ebrahim Raisiwho died in an accident in May.
The Iranian president has decision-making power on national issues and to a lesser extent on foreign and security policy in Iran, where the supreme leader, Ali Khameneiacts as head of state with vast powers.
Local survey data point to a Possible second round in a week since it seems that no candidate will achieve 50% of the votes.
As is traditional, Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, voted early in the morning before television cameras and called again to participate in the elections.
“It is important to have a high participation and for the people to vote.. It is a necessity for the Islamic Republic,” stated the country’s highest religious and political authority, in a call that he has repeated in recent days.
Among voters, however, skepticism and apathy reign in the midst of an economy weighed down by 40% inflation, a devalued rial and 20% youth unemployment.
Added to this is the disenchantment of many Iranians, especially young people, with the Islamic Republic due to the lack of social freedoms, especially the islamic veila hot topic since the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022 after being arrested for not wearing the Islamic veil properly, which sparked strong protests against the authorities.
This apathy among the 61 million voters worries the Islamic Republic, which places great importance on participation in elections as a sign of its legitimacy and popular support.
The March parliamentary elections saw the lowest turnout in the 45 years of the Islamic Republic when only 41% of the electorate went to the polls, while in the 2021 presidential elections 48% voted.
Khamenei has called on Iranians to vote in the elections to “defeat the enemy” and elect a president who believes in the principles of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
(With information from EFE)
