On the eve of Iran's presidential election, a group of poor Iranian Kurds who risk their lives every day to make ends meet on the border with Iraq spoke to Al-Monitor about what matters to them in deciding which candidate they will vote for — or why they plan to boycott the vote. Many hope for closer ties with the West so sanctions will be lifted and the economy will be revived. But while the economy is the main concern, almost all of the men who spoke to Al-Monitor praised the Iranian authorities for maintaining security within the country’s borders at a time when bombings and war bring chaos to neighboring countries.
These men are known as "kolbar" — they smuggle goods on their backs for a fee to make a living in the remote mountains between Iran and Iraqi Kurdistan. “I have no job. That is why I am doing this. Otherwise, this load is for a mule and not a human,” said Ali, a man in his mid-40s, while preparing his load of cigarettes to take back into Iran. Ali receives around $30 to carry the 24-kilogram load through the mountains for over six hours. Asked if he will vote on Friday, he pointed to his load and said, “Not really. This is my situation. Rouhani did not do anything for us for the last four years.”