Iranians will file out to cast their votes on Friday, June 28 to elect a new president from a pool of six candidates, which included a single reformist aiming to confront the influence of conservatives in the Islamic republic.
A presidential election in Iran had not been due until 2025 but was brought forward after President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash last month.
The snap poll comes at a challenging time as Iran grapples with the economic impact of international sanctions amid heightened regional tensions over the Gaza war between Israel and Tehran’s ally Hamas.
The election is also being held just five months before a presidential election in the United States, Iran’s sworn enemy and Israel’s staunch ally.
Leading contenders for Iran’s second highest-ranking office are conservative parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, ultraconservative former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, and the sole reformist, Massoud Pezeshkian.
The others are conservative…
Source: Leadership Newspaper
