Iran to Hold Election June 28

Eko Hot Blog reports that Iran will hold snap elections on June 28 following the sudden death of former Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash.

Alireza Mahmoudi, Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, overseeing the 14th presidential election abroad, stated that Iranians living abroad are deeply interested in their country, and the election holds significant importance for them.

EDITOR’S PICK

The Iranian Interests Section in Washington DC and New York has announced arrangements for mobile voting stations in the US. Mahmoudi mentioned that more than 30 ballot boxes will be established across the country.

Additionally, there will be over 10 ballot boxes in the UK and 23 in Iraq.

The polls are set to open in Iran and abroad on June 28. This election follows the tragic death of President Ebrahim Raeisi and seven others on May 19, when their helicopter crashed in northwestern Iran.

Iran’s ultra-conservative Guardian Council, which ultimately decides who is allowed on the ballot, has approved a list of six candidates to run for the presidency.

Most are hardliners who hold staunch anti-Western positions, with one candidate representing the reformist camp. Women who had registered as candidates were all disqualified by the Council.

“Six out of 80 candidates made it past the Guardian Council’s vetting process. Of these six, five are genuine hardliners and one a token reformist,” Behnam ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies said.

He described Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei⁠ as the country’s “only ‘voter’ of significance.”

He’s “looking for continuity, not change,” ben Taleblu said, adding that half of the approved candidates have been sanctioned by Western governments.

Click below to watch our video of the week:

Stephen Jesuwale

Jesuwale Stephen is a journalist who finished from the Nigerian Institute of Journalism. He is a distinctive writer, media strategist and also a Digital Marketer