Voices of Iranians ahead of presidential election
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s presidential election is seen as a referendum on Hassan Rouhani’s outreach to Western nations and the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, which lifted crippling international sanctions.
The average Iranian has yet to see benefits from the deal, making Rouhani vulnerable in his bid for another four-year term.
Many Iranians believe Friday’s election will not bring any major change regardless of who wins. Reformist candidates and women were again excluded from the ballot by a clerical vetting committee. Of more than 1,600 hopefuls who registered to run, only six were allowed in the race. Ultimate power remains with the supreme leader, who is chosen by a clerical body.
Hard-liners are backing Ebrahim Raisi, considered close to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Authorities blocked a bid by former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a Holocaust-questioning hard-liner who had championed the country’s disputed nuclear program.