Tomorrow 56 million Iranians are expected to go to the ballot box to vote in the 12th presidential election. At the end of a fierce electoral campaign, it is now clear it will be a duel between incumbent President Hassan Rouhani and the challenger, Ebrahim Raisi. These two clerics, the former supported by reformists and technocrats and the latter by conservatives and ultraradicals, are the last two candidates still in the running after the other two prominent contenders, Jahangiri and Qalibaf, withdrew in favour of Rouhani and Raisi, respectively. The outcome of the presidential election – the first after the signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in July 2015 and the death of Rafsanjani, former president and kingmaker of Iranian politics, earlier this year – will be determined mainly by economics, specifically the popular perception of the disputed economic benefits which were supposed to follow the removal of nuclear–related sanctions. While none of the candidates has outspokenly threatened to repeal the deal, on Friday Iranians will vote for two opposing visions of Iran.
(Image credit: shahrvand.ir)
