Hosseiniyeh Ershad in Tehran is not only a non secular web site for Shiite Muslims, but in addition one in all Iran’s most famed political venues. Earlier than the 1979 revolution, distinguished Iranian mental and revolutionary Ali Shariati delivered his fiery speeches in opposition to Shah Pahlavi right here. On Friday, beginning at 8am, this lovely constructing with its turquoise dome hosted the biggest and oldest polling station within the nation.
Tehran residents started lining up on the gates as early as 7am, and the gang solely grew regardless of the 30-degree warmth, blazing solar, and dry air. The turnout was so excessive that voting hours had been prolonged till midnight. Individuals got here to vote with their total households, bringing aged family in wheelchairs and infants of their arms. A video circulating on-line confirmed a legless Iranian man actually crawling to the poll field.
“Inform your readers these elections are particular for us. At present, Iranians are proving to the world that no enemy can break us. Neither sanctions nor the dying of our president will shake our resolve,” stated a voter who had arrived first and stood on the entrance of the lengthy line. In a single hand, she held a photograph of the Supreme Chief and the late President Raisi, and within the different, a doc verifying her participation in each election. Her presence made it clear she was voting for somebody who would proceed the earlier president’s conservative and spiritual path. And she or he wasn’t alone on this sentiment.
“These elections are extra necessary to me than bread,” Ahmad Yazdan Shimrani informed reporters. “The individuals will vote for the revolutionary course. We help the revolution; we’re religious Muslims, and we won’t let our chief down.”
Nonetheless, there have been dissenting voices.
Close by, a younger man shook his head, clearly disagreeing with the fervent rhetoric of the conservative voters.
“Do you assume in a different way?” I requested.
“Don’t you? Pay attention, these individuals have been giving us grand speeches for years, however the place are the outcomes? The place is the financial progress? The tip of unemployment? The lifting of sanctions? I’m 26, and I’ve lived my complete life in isolation, similar to my mother and father. Regardless of having a bachelor’s diploma, I’m caught with low-paying gigs. What ought to I do? Go away? I don’t need to; I really like my nation, my household, and pals are right here. That’s why I’m voting.”
“I believe I do know for whom…”
“In fact, for Mr. Masoud Pezeshkian. We have to give one thing new an opportunity. In any other case, nothing will change.”
It might sound that solely offended youth are voting for the reformist candidate, however that’s not the case. Some older residents and even spiritual figures are supporting the liberal candidate. On the polling station, I met Ayatollah Hadi Ghaffari.
“I’m voting for Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian. For the dignity of Iran and the consolation of the Iranian individuals,” he stated as he solid his poll.
How Elections Are Organized in Iran
The President of the Islamic Republic of Iran is elected through a direct fashionable vote for a four-year time period. To win, a candidate should safe over 50% of the vote. If no candidate achieves this majority, as occurred this time, a runoff election is held.
Voters arrive at polling stations with their ID playing cards, obtain a stamped poll, and write within the identify of their chosen candidate. After casting their vote, they get their paperwork again. All of it appears simple, very like any democratic course of. Nonetheless, these elections within the Islamic Republic have a deeper significance.
On election day, individuals got here in droves, many carrying portraits of the late President Ebrahim Raisi, linking their hopes for the longer term together with his administration’s legacy. The day earlier than, throughout the customary pre-election quiet interval, Iran mourned as soon as extra, marking 40 days for the reason that tragic helicopter crash. Tehran was lined with photos of the politicians who perished on Could 19, 2024, together with banners depicting the late president and overseas minister in paradise. Some posters even confirmed Raisi embracing Qasem Soleimani, the overall killed by the Individuals in Iraq in 2020. Town was steeped in symbolism, invoking themes of everlasting life and better goal.
At Hosseiniyeh Ershad, representatives from varied religions gathered to solid their votes. Amongst them had been a rabbi, Zoroastrians, and clergymen from the Armenian Apostolic Church.
Curiously, out of all of the candidates, solely Mostafa Pourmohammadi selected to vote at Hosseiniyeh Ershad. The others opted to solid their ballots within the poorer southern districts of Tehran.
Participation is Key
Voter turnout is the cornerstone of respectable presidential elections. To spice up participation in Iran, authorities have created an exceptionally handy voting course of, making certain full transparency and freedom for each candidates and voters. Individuals are free to criticize, accuse, and suggest — some even do that proper exterior polling stations. This open atmosphere goals to reignite Iranians’ curiosity of their nation’s politics and restore voter belief.
“There’s no scarcity of political expertise in Iran. The actual problem is that half the inhabitants doesn’t vote,” shared a polling station official. “Truthfully, I’m happy with the present turnout.”
In what may be an effort to additional improve voter engagement, journalists have additionally been given all of the help they want this time round. In response to officers on the polling station, round 150 overseas media shops, together with Western ones usually important of the Islamic Republic’s management, had been current. They had been supplied with the required services and intently monitored to make sure that voters weren’t pressured and that their studies remained correct and free from provocations or distortions.
Right here’s an SMS I obtained on my Iranian SIM card from the Ministry of the Inside:
“To keep away from getting caught in legal conditions, be cautious and keep away from falling for pretend info on-line. Confirm the authenticity, date, and supply of any information earlier than publishing.”
What Iranians Need
“By far a very powerful problem for Iranians in response to polls is the economic system,” Mohammad Marandi, a distinguished Iranian analyst, informed RT. “Polls say that jobs, inflation, and the economic system are by far a very powerful points. International coverage and inside points, they don’t seem to be actually all that huge and that’s why the candidates spent most of their time speaking concerning the economic system throughout the 20 hours of direct debates and the numerous different hours that every had on tv.”
— Do you actually assume Iranian society is so deeply divided between conservative and reformist camps?
— There is no such thing as a actual unified reformist camp or conservative camp or ‘principalist camp’, as they themselves name it. As you’ve seen, two of the three fundamental candidates are supposedly principalists or conservative they usually didn’t unite. The reformist camp may be very numerous. There’s a whole lot of overlap between reasonable reformists and reasonable principalists or conservatives. I believe there’s most likely rather a lot, perhaps simply as a lot in widespread between [Mohammad Bagher] Ghalibaf, who’s the Speaker of Parliament, and Dr. Pezeshkian, the delicate reformist. There’s simply as a lot similarity between them as there could be in different areas between Dr. Ghalibaf and Dr. Jalili. So the three of them are totally different from one another, and I believe that displays a range, a big range. I actually don’t assume that we will say that Iran is split into two camps. There are a lot of, many various subgroups and Iranian politics may be very fluid.
A Non secular Perspective
A mere 150 kilometers separate Tehran from the sacred Shiite metropolis of Qom, a two-hour drive that transports you to a distinctly totally different Iran: one which’s austere and deeply spiritual. Right here, it’s not unusual for somebody to reprimand a girl for conceited apparel or a loosely worn hijab. Not like the bustling, secular capital, discussions about politics with foreigners are uncommon in Qom, particularly on digital camera. The general environment feels a lot stricter, maybe because of the heightened religiosity, by Islamic Republic requirements, or the extreme 40-degree warmth that appears able to melting stones. It’s no shock that almost all residents spend their days resting and praying within the cool consolation of mosques, shaded from the solar.
On this metropolis, inside a residential constructing, lies the media heart of esteemed Azerbaijani students. One of the crucial distinguished and revered Hujjat al-Islam (a title in Shi’ism), Qurban Mirzahanov, invited me there. He agreed to supply his theological perspective on the outcomes of the primary spherical of presidential elections.
“Pezeshkian doesn’t observe a political stance permitted by Islam,” Mirzahanov states. “Even the Quran advises relying solely on our personal energy. For those who make concessions to an enemy, they’ll demand extra and by no means be glad. That is precisely what occurred throughout Hassan Rouhani’s presidency. They initially made concessions to the West on the nuclear program, however the West instantly demanded extra within the missile program. And even when Iran concedes all the pieces, there’s no assure that life will enhance for the Iranian individuals.”
“Concerning Pezeshkian, regardless of being a reformist, he’s additionally a revolutionary. I consider his strategy is flawed, however he isn’t a consultant of secular or brazenly counter-revolutionary forces.”
— Do the individuals of Iran share your views?
— Individuals right here typically get emotional. They complain about financial points, which is comprehensible. However past feelings, statistics present that a good portion of the inhabitants nonetheless helps the ideology of the Islamic Revolution. There are fierce critics, usually among the many youth and celebrities, however they’re removed from being the bulk.
— Hijabs had been a significant focus within the election debates. This problem now transcends spiritual ethics and has entered the realm of politics. Do you assume there’s a risk that necessary hijabs will likely be abolished in Iran?
— Some segments of society do demand this variation. After the current protests, authorities in Tehran and different locations have began turning a blind eye to girls’s appearances. Nonetheless, I doubt that even when reformists take energy, they might repeal the hijab regulation. The hijab has turn into a logo of the Revolution. Because of the actions of the US and EU, it’s unlikely that Iranian girls will abandon it. For them, it’s now not only a piece of spiritual apparel imposed on them. It has developed right into a political image, a trigger for which their grandfathers, fathers, brothers, and husbands shed blood.
What’s Subsequent?
The runoff will see the 2 candidates who garnered essentially the most votes: Pezeshkian (42.5%) and Jalili (38.7%). Campaigning continues till 8am on Thursday, July 4th, with the election happening on Friday, July fifth.
Ghalibaf, having exited the race, has urged his supporters to again Jalili:
“The journey isn’t over. Whereas I respect Mr. Pezeshkian, resulting from sure people round him, I ask all revolutionary forces and my supporters to assist forestall a return to energy of these accountable for Iran’s present financial and political points,” he said. This alignment offers the conservative bloc a mixed 52.4% of the vote, whereas reformists maintain 42.45%.
A victory for Jalili could be a logical continuation of the method that started in 2021 with the election of former judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi as president. Recall that this occurred after reformists had obtained vital public belief, initially resulting in promising developments just like the JCPOA settlement, which gave the impression to be lifting the nation out of sanctions. Nonetheless, the arrival of Donald Trump within the White Home abruptly ended years of efforts to fix relations with the Islamic Republic.
Thus, if the conservative wins on July fifth, it is going to largely be because of the actions of the US and Europe. Such an end result would solidify traditionalist management at each the presidential and parliamentary ranges.
Ought to Pezeshkian emerge victorious, reformists may have one other probability to show their strategy isn’t a lifeless finish. It will provide an opportunity to appropriate previous errors and regain public belief. Whether or not they succeed stays unsure, however there’s little doubt that Pezeshkian and his workforce will try to win energy. This battle guarantees to be historic.
