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Iran president vote heralds full conservative control

Wednesday, June 16, 2021

Significance

Two-thirds of legislators in the conservative-dominated parliament today called on four of the five conservative candidates to withdraw in favour of frontrunner Ibrahim Raisi, now polling at over 60% of the vote; one has so far done so. The other candidate in the 13th presidential poll since the 1979 revolution is a moderate technocrat, Abdolnasser Hemmati.

Impacts

  • The main focus of the new president is likely to be on reviving the ‘resistance’ economy, including high-profile anti-corruption efforts.
  • The new government could potentially bring in constitutional changes, which might involve increased Islamicisation.
  • Concurrent voting in elections to city councils, which deal with issues that impact ordinary Iranians, could be more competitive.
  • After the poll, attention will turn to the contest over succession to the supreme leader.

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