TEHRAN – Iranian cities are buzzing with election fever as posters and placards adorn streets, big screens air presidential debates, and candidates crisscross the country in a bid to sway voters. 

Anticipation has swept across Iran and observers wonder whom Iranians will entrust with the presidency and the responsibility of leading the country, 40 days after the passing of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in northwestern Iran. 

No sign of election boycott despite Western propaganda

Western media outlets, which rejoiced at the decreased voter turnout of around 50% in the 2021 presidential elections, appear poised for disappointment this time around. Estimates indicate that a significantly larger number of individuals will be casting their votes, despite the unprecedented levels of propaganda from Western and Israeli sources urging a boycott of the election.

“Channels such as BBC and International are urging us not to vote. It's puzzling how Iranians living abroad and receiving payment from Western governments or Zionists have the audacity to dictate our actions. We are concerned about the future of our country and want to elect the most suitable candidate. All these traitors and lackeys of the West can say whatever they want, we don’t care about them,” a man in his 20s told IRIB during a street interview. 

Rather than deciding to boycott the elections, Iranians are preoccupied with whom they should be voting for. "I feel a sense of duty as an Iranian to participate in the election. While I haven't made a final decision on my vote yet, I know I must make up my mind by Friday morning," shared an Iranian woman with IRIB reporters.

The race is close between two conservative contenders and one reformist candidate. Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Saeed Jalili, and Masoud Pezeshkian are currently leading the pack, and experts believe that if both conservative candidates remain in the race, elections could head to a second round. 

Reformist politicians have also shown great enthusiasm and hope in supporting the sole reformist candidate, Pezeshkian, after largely avoiding participation in election processes over the past three years, partly due to bitterness stemming from the significant loss of clout following the end of President Hassan Rouhani’s administration.

Rouhani, along with the influential figures Mohammad Khatami and Mohammad Javad Zarif, were among the most notable reformists making a return to the political scene by throwing their support behind Pezeshkian.

While the election outcome remains uncertain, one thing is clear: the June 28 vote will see Iranians rejecting external pressures from the West and Israel. Iranians will demonstrate their resilience and independence, and show up to choose their own path.

In this pursuit of independence, efforts by foreign forces to create politicization, especially in the field of foreign policy will also yield no results. Iranians now understand that every candidate’s purpose will be to terminate the sanctions while attempting to neutralize them at the same time.