WIDESPREAD public apathy greeted Iran’s presidential election yesterday as a hard-line protégé of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was being tipped to win the vote.
Polls opened at 7am local time for the vote, which came after Khamenei barred hundreds of candidates, including reformists and those aligned with outgoing president Hassan Rouhani.
State-linked polls put judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi as the front-runner in a field of just four candidates, with only one described as a moderate – Abdolnasser Hemmati, a former chief of the Central Bank.
However, he has not inspired the same support as outgoing president Hassan Rouhani.
If elected, Raisi would be the first serving Iranian president sanctioned by the US government even before entering office over his involvement in the mass execution of political prisoners in 1988.
He also spent time as the head of one of the world’s top executioners – Iran's internationally criticised judiciary.
More than 59 million people are eligible to vote in Iran, which is home to more than 80 million people, but the state-linked Iranian Student Polling Agency has estimated a turnout of just 42%, which would be the lowest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The country’s opposition in exile – the People’s Mojahedin of Iran PMOI/Mek – had called for a boycott of the poll, and yesterday it distributed hundreds of videos showing apparently empty polling stations.
In one, the mother of murdered protester Vahid Damvar, said: “People of #Iran wake up! Raisi is a murderer and has been killing since 1982.”
Mahboubeh Ramezani, whose son was among 1500 peaceful protesters killed by Iran's regime in 2019, said: “We mothers will bring about your overthrown. My vote as a mother is regime change.”
Khamenei cast the ceremonial vote from Tehran, where he urged people to vote: “Through the participation of the people the country and the Islamic ruling system will win great points in the international arena, but the ones who benefit first are the people themselves. Go ahead, choose and vote.”
Raisi later voted at a mosque in southern Tehran and acknowledged afterwards that some people may be “so upset that they don't want to vote”.
He added: “I beg everyone, the lovely youths, and all Iranian men and women speaking any accent or language from any region and with any political views, to go and vote and cast their ballots.”
A leaflet handed out to some voters warned: “If we do not vote: Sanctions will be heavier, the US and Israel will be encouraged to attack Iran.
“Iran will be under shadow of a Syrian-style civil war and the ground will be ready for assassination of scientists and important figures.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here