When’s the election? Who’s running? Here’s a short primer on Iran’s vote for president.
Iran is holding an election on Friday to pick a successor to its president who died in a helicopter crash last month.
Iran’s critics are quick to point out the country’s elections are not free or fair, and the unelected supreme leader holds the most power. Yet the president is the highest-elected official and can influence domestic and some foreign policies.
Here are some of the main things to know about the Iranian presidential election.
When is Iran’s election?
Voting in Iran begins on Friday, June 28, at 8 a.m. and polls are scheduled to close at 6 p.m. local time. Results could start to come out by Saturday.
This is not a regularly scheduled election — it wasn’t supposed to happen until next year. But the government called what’s known as a snap election in the wake of the May 19 helicopter crash that killed President Ebrahim Raisi, as well as the foreign minister and other officials.
Mohammad Mokhber, who was appointed acting president, is not one of the candidates.Who’s running for president of Iran?
Iran’s Guardian Council, charged with vetting candidates, had winnowed down a long list of hopefuls to just six candidate: five hard-line conservatives and one reformist.
But in the lead-up to the vote this week, two candidates dropped out of the race, according to Iranian news media.
