Iranians will be heading to the polls on Friday for the final round of voting to replace the late President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in May. The two candidates in the runoff election are the hard-line former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili and Masoud Pezeshkian, a heart surgeon and longtime MP allied with moderates and reformists.
The initial round of voting saw a low turnout of 39.9%, the lowest ever in an Iranian election, with no candidate receiving more than 50% of the vote. Calls for a boycott have been made, including by imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei ultimately has the final say on all matters of state, but presidents can influence the country’s policies towards confrontation or negotiation with the West. The voting process lacks international oversight, and candidates advocating for radical change have been barred from the ballot.
The election comes at a time of heightened tension in the Middle East, particularly over the Gaza Strip. Iran continues to enrich uranium at near weapons-grade levels and maintains a significant stockpile. The 2015 nuclear deal with world powers collapsed in 2018 under former President Donald Trump’s administration.
The runoff election will determine the direction Iran takes, with supporters of Pezeshkian warning of a “Taliban-style” government if Jalili is elected. The death of Raisi, seen as a potential successor to Khamenei, has added further uncertainty to the political landscape in Iran.
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