Iranians are going to the polls for the second round of the presidential election on Friday, July 5, to choose between reformer Massoud Pezeshkian, 69, and former nuclear negotiator, ultraconservative Said Jalili, 58. The outcome of the vote remains uncertain, however, as does turnout, which in the first round was the lowest in the history of the Islamic Republic.
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Face to face for the second round of this presidential election in Iran: Reformer Massoud Pezeshkian69, who advocates for an Iran more open to the West, and the former nuclear negotiator; the ultraconservative Said Jalili, 58, known for his inflexible positions towards Western powers.
The Supreme Guide of Iranthe Ayatollah Ali Khameneicalled on voters on Wednesday, July 3, to go to the polls on Friday for the second round of the presidential election. A request that comes after the first round, on June 28, had given rise to a high abstention rate: the latter had been the highest in the history of the Islamic Republic.
Will the historic abstention of the first round be repeated?
According to government figures, only 40% of voters chose to vote in the first round. During the campaign, candidates tried hard to reach out to those disillusioned with the Islamic Republic, especially the reformer Massoud Pezeshkian. This clearly did not work.
Despite this, the reformist candidate came out on top. Since more in-depth polls are banned in Iran, it is difficult to know who chose to vote in the first round. youth of the movement ” Woman Life Freedom » ? Reformers of the 2009 green movement who contested the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ?
Today, those who were initially not convinced by the reformer could decide to vote against the ultraconservative. But here again, it is difficult to predict how many abstainers from the first round will ultimately take to the polls on July 5.
Another unknown is the game of vote transfers. The third candidate Mohammad Qalibaf called for a vote for Said Jalili. But some members of his campaign team are calling for a vote for Massoud Pezeshkian, refusing the arrival of an ultraconservative in power.
Very mixed feeling among the population
Iranians’ opinions remain very divided about the election. For Leyla, a fifty-something who works in tourism, the prospect of a victory for the conservative Said Jalili is the worst thing, she told our correspondent in Tehran, Siavosh Ghazi :
” I voted for Pezeshkian and I will vote for him with even more determination, I fear especially for my job. I work in tourism and I am sure that with Jalili, tourism will go below zero. There is a fear that Jalili will come to power “.
A feeling that not everyone shares. This is the case of Ali, a 38-year-old artist, who refuses to vote: ” I did not vote in the first round and I do not intend to vote in the second. I think this is all a game and everything is set in advance. Each time, presidents have made promises that have not been fulfilled and things have become even worse than before. “.
According to the polls, the game seems very tight and everything will depend on the mobilization of voters until the last minute, while 60% refused to vote in the first round.
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