Today, the Iranian People Elected a New President to Replace Ebrahim Raisi

TEHERAN – People Iran will elect a new president on Friday (28/6/2024) to replace the President Ibrahim Raisi who died in a helicopter crash on May 19.

According to reports AFPthis presidential election is unlikely to bring about major changes in the policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran, but the outcome could affect the succession of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei—Iran’s 85-year-old supreme leader, who has been in power for three and a half decades.

Khamenei has called for maximum voter turnout to offset a legitimacy crisis fueled by public discontent over economic hardship and restrictions on political and social freedoms.

Voter turnout has declined over the past four years, with much of the younger population feeling frustrated by political and social restrictions.

Voting opens at 08.00 local time and closes at 18.00, but is usually extended until midnight.

Because ballots are counted manually, final results are expected to be announced in just two days, although preliminary figures may come out sooner.

If no candidate obtains at least 50 percent plus one vote from all ballots including blank votes, a second round between the top two candidates is held on the first Friday after the presidential election results are announced.

Three of the candidates are hardline candidates and one is a moderate candidate, backed by a reformist faction that has been largely sidelined in Iran in recent years.

Critics of Iran’s clerical government say low and declining voter turnout in previous elections shows the system’s legitimacy has been eroded.