Iran closes deadline for nominations for June presidential election
Ali Larijani and Ebrahim Raisi are the latest candidates in Iran's presidential elections, which will be held on 18 June. The elections will determine the successor to the current president, Hasan Rohani, who is barred by the country's constitution from running for a third consecutive term.
Larijani was president of the Iranian broadcaster IRIB and president of the Islamic Consultative Assembly for 12 years. He also played an important role in the Iran-Iraq war, serving as deputy director general of the Revolutionary Guards. Larijani was a negotiator on Iran's security issues, such as the Iranian nuclear programme, as well as an advisor to Khamenei. The Persian politician had already run for president in 2005 with the support of conservative political parties, although he has moderated his stance in recent years.
Shortly after registering as a presidential hopeful, he stated his goal of improving Iran's economy. "Our country needs to prioritise economic development and national interests for at least two decades. The rest of the country's issues have to be at the service of this", Larijani said.
He also pointed to the importance of "a strong, constructive and intelligent relationship with the West and a fraternal bond with neighbouring countries". Tehran is currently in the process of negotiations over the 2015 nuclear deal, and there are indications that it may establish relations with Saudi Arabia, its main enemy in the region.
On the other side is Ebrahim Raisi, Rohani's main rival in the 2017 elections and favourite for the June polls. Raisi is the head of Iran's judiciary and a conservative Shia cleric. As a religious figure, he wields great power and influence within the country as the custodian of Iran's largest mosque.
The cleric has presented himself as an actor who will make "changes in the executive management of the country to fight poverty, corruption, humiliation and discrimination". However, Raisi's past is controversial for his involvement in the execution of leftist politicians and opponents in 1988.
Among the other candidates who had previously registered was conservative former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. During his term in office, "the situation of human rights and civic freedoms in Iran regressed sharply", according to the think tank CIDOB. Moreover, Ahmadinejad left an economy mired in recession and inflation. Also, when he left power, the country was suffering from a large currency depreciation and high unemployment figures.
Hosein Dehqan, former defence minister; Mohsen Rezai, former commander of the Revolutionary Guards; and Said Mohamad, former head of the Revolutionary Guards' largest construction and engineering conglomerate, have been other prominent names among the contenders for the Iranian presidency. It is worth noting the high number of military figures among the candidates. As the Iranian state news agency IRNA notes, this list is "the longest list of potential candidates in a presidential election with a military background". There is also a female candidate in this election, the secretary general of the Reformist Women's Assembly, Zahara Shoyaei.
More than 59 million Iranians have been called to the polls, but turnout is expected to be low due to public disillusionment with politics and serious economic problems. Nonetheless, the international community will be watching closely what happens in Iran, as it may bring about a change in the situation in the region. US President Joe Biden, because of the nuclear deal and the ongoing talks, will be watching who succeeds Rohani. The same goes for other powers in the region, such as Saudi Arabia, which is now looking to improve its relations with Tehran.
