Iran’s Pivotal Presidential Election

The election on June 18 could mark the most important political transition in Iran for more than 30 years since the new president is likely to be in power when the next supreme leader is selected.

Ayatollah Khamenei is now 82. He was president before he was selected as Iran’s second supreme leader, in 1989—a process that created an informal precedent. The list of seven approved presidential candidates—out of almost 600 who registered to run, including 40 women—is heavily frontloaded with five hardliners or “principlists” loyal to rigid revolutionary ideals, including one considered a frontrunner to succeed Khamenei. The other two—a centrist and a reformist—are considered dark horses, but Iranian voters have been known to surprise even when presented with a limited slate.

Most Iranians—and now the majority of voters—were born after the 1979 revolution. One of the looming questions is how many will vote—and what will turnout say about public support for the regime.

The election intersects with critical negotiations between Iran and the world’s six major powers over the future of the JCPOA nuclear deal. Iran’s next president will set policy for years to come on foreign relations, including talks with the outside world on its nuclear and missile programs as well as on domestic affairs and the economy, which have been stifled by economic sanctions and the COVID-19 pandemic.

This expert panel will discuss the election results and the implications for Iran, the Middle East, and the United States. How will the new president fare with the Biden administration?

[mamadoubalde]

If you’re talking about a country, it is wise to have a person from that country to represent his or her country.

[xman]

Thank you Suzanne for parroting all saudi and Israeli talking-points. Thank you robin for sharing with us all the cia talking-points. Thank you ali for all the grifting you did.