Iran holds vote to choose president

The latest poll suggests that Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian, a reform candidate, was in the lead, but not by enough to avoid a runoff.
< p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">As voting unfolded Friday in Iran's presidential election, early estimates from campaign officials showed that only about 40 percent of eligible voters appeared to cast ballots. The low turnout represents a potential blow to the ruling clerics, who have made voter turnout a marker of their legitimacy and who had hoped to achieve a turnout of 50 percent, compared to 70 percent in previous presidential elections.
Hafez Hakami, campaign manager of the only reform candidate, Dr. Masoud Pezeshkians, confirmed in a telephone interview after the close of voting that the turnout was lower than expected.
“We really expected a turnout of over 50 percent,” he said, “but unfortunately the social atmosphere around voting was still fraught, people could not be convinced to show up to the polls. »
After enduring years of economic struggle and severe restrictions on personal and social freedoms, many Iranians say they are fed up with empty promises made by politicians who are unwilling or unable to hold them. For some voters, refusing to vote was the only way to reject the government.
“The gap between the government and its people is serious,” said Omid Memarian. , human rights activist and senior analyst at DAWN, a think tank in Washington. “From university students and women to political prisoners and those who lost loved ones in the 2022 nationwide protests, there is consensus that Iran needs far greater changes than what the regime.
“People are tired,” he added, “of having to choose between the bad, the worst and the worst. »
In the capital, Tehran, reports emerged of the desertion of certain polling stations. “The polling station where I voted today was empty,” said Mahdieh, 41, who only gave his first name for fear of the authorities. “I voted without the hijab,” she added, referring to rules requiring women to wear head coverings in Iran.
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World Jun 29, 2024 0 10 Add to Reading List

The latest poll suggests that Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian, a reform candidate, was in the lead, but not by enough to avoid a runoff.

< p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">As voting unfolded Friday in Iran's presidential election, early estimates from campaign officials showed that only about 40 percent of eligible voters appeared to cast ballots. The low turnout represents a potential blow to the ruling clerics, who have made voter turnout a marker of their legitimacy and who had hoped to achieve a turnout of 50 percent, compared to 70 percent in previous presidential elections.

Hafez Hakami, campaign manager of the only reform candidate, Dr. Masoud Pezeshkians, confirmed in a telephone interview after the close of voting that the turnout was lower than expected.

“We really expected a turnout of over 50 percent,” he said, “but unfortunately the social atmosphere around voting was still fraught, people could not be convinced to show up to the polls. »

After enduring years of economic struggle and severe restrictions on personal and social freedoms, many Iranians say they are fed up with empty promises made by politicians who are unwilling or unable to hold them. For some voters, refusing to vote was the only way to reject the government.

“The gap between the government and its people is serious,” said Omid Memarian. , human rights activist and senior analyst at DAWN, a think tank in Washington. “From university students and women to political prisoners and those who lost loved ones in the 2022 nationwide protests, there is consensus that Iran needs far greater changes than what the regime.

“People are tired,” he added, “of having to choose between the bad, the worst and the worst. »

In the capital, Tehran, reports emerged of the desertion of certain polling stations. “The polling station where I voted today was empty,” said Mahdieh, 41, who only gave his first name for fear of the authorities. “I voted without the hijab,” she added, referring to rules requiring women to wear head coverings in Iran.

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