Iran’s Reformists face tough choice between participation or boycotting election
While Reformists are hesitant to give legitimacy to what they believe to be a fraudulent vote, they are also aware that if they do not participate in the Friday election, it would be difficult for them to win in the next election four years later.
With less than two days until Iranians head to the polls to elect a new president on June 18, Reformists and moderates have to make up their mind on whether to join the game or boycott it.
After the Guardian Council — an unelected body charged with vetting candidates — disqualified the main Reformist and moderate presidential hopefuls, it became clear from the onset that the Reformist front in Iranian politics would face a bumpy road to participating in this year’s presidential elections.
The vetting council only let in two candidates affiliated with the Reformists: Adolnasser Hemmati, the former Central Bank of Iran (CBI) governor; and Mohsen Mehr Alizadeh, who served as vice president to previous Reformist president Mohammad Khatami and as head of the Physical Education Organization. Neither of them is considered to be a major challenger.
Moreover, Hemmati, who until less than two weeks ago was CBI governor under President Hassan Rouhani, is considered to be a moderate technocrat. He has no major following to rally the support of Reformists. Furthermore, Iran’s currency has faced high depreciation during his term at the helm of the CBI. Although he says he has been able to keep the CBI floating in the face of tough pressure from Trump-era sanctions, the general public accuses him of being part of the problem rather than the solution. They partly blame him for economic problems and the high rate of inflation.
