Presidential election in Iran: one of the two reformist candidates withdraws

Published on : 06/16/2021 – 08:29

Mohsen Mehralizadeh, one of the only two reformers vying for the Iranian presidential election decided, Wednesday, June 16, to withdraw his candidacy, forty-eight hours before the opening of the poll, according to Iranian media.

The information was first given without a source by the official Irna agency, before being confirmed by its competitor Isna, who quotes a spokesperson for Mohsen Mehralizadeh’s campaign. He did not provide any explanation, indicating that an official statement would be issued “in a few hours,” Isna writes.

Of the seven candidates (five ultraconservatives and two reformers) to succeed the outgoing president, the moderate Hassan Rohani, who cannot run for re-election this year after two consecutive terms, Mohsen Mehralizadeh was the only one not to exceed the threshold of 1% of voting intentions, according to the Iranian polling institute Ispa.

>> To see: Infographic: Who are the presidential candidates in Iran?

Risk of record abstention

The ultra-conservative Ebrahim Raïssi, head of the Judicial Authority, is a big favorite in the ballot, with the 38% he obtained four years ago and for lack of a strong opponent after the disqualification of several political figures who could have overshadowed him.

The election on Friday, June 18 is due to take place as negotiations are being held in Vienna between the Islamic Republic and the international community to save the Iran nuclear deal, and against a background of general dissatisfaction with the serious economic and social crisis. that the country is undergoing.

According to the few surveys available, abstention could exceed the record of 57% recorded during the legislative elections of 2020.

With AFP