(16 Jun 2021) Iran's presidential contest headed toward a showdown between the country's hard-line judiciary chief and moderate former Central Bank chief on Wednesday, as two candidates dropped out on the last day of campaigning to clear a path for the challengers.
Mohsen Mehralizadeh, the only reformist candidate in the vote, as well as hard-line contender Alireza Zakani withdrew from the race, state media reported, leaving just five candidates in the field.
Such dropouts are common in Iranian presidential elections in order to boost the chances of similar candidates.
No campaigning is allowed on Thursday, 24 hours before polls open.
The departure of 64-year-old Mehralizadeh, who served as governor in two Iranian provinces, is aimed at consolidating support for top banker Abdolnasser Hemmati, who has positioned himself as a leading moderate and stand-in for President Hassan Rouhani, who is term-limited from running again.
Polling and analysts indicate Hemmati lags behind hard-line judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi, the presumed front-runner long cultivated by Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Also ending his campaign, Zakani, a 55-year-old hard-line lawmaker twice rejected from running for president, threw his support behind Raisi.
"I consider him (Raisi) to be the most qualified," Zakani was quoted as saying by state TV.
Other candidates were expected to follow suit later Wednesday.
Over 200 lawmakers in parliament, which is dominated by hard-liners, released a statement urging the rest of the conservative contenders to withdraw and back Raisi's presidential bid.
Some candidates, however, doubled down on their campaigning.
Within Iran, candidates exist on a political spectrum that broadly includes hard-liners who want to expand Iran's nuclear program and confront the world, moderates who hold onto the status quo and reformists who want to change the theocracy from within.
Although a range of prominent reformists and key Rouhani allies registered to run for president, Iran's clerical vetting body allowed just several low-profile candidates, mostly hard-liners, to run against Raisi.
Owing in part to the disqualifications as well as the raging coronavirus pandemic, voter apathy runs deep.
The state-linked Iranian Student Polling Agency has most recently projected a 42% turnout from the country's 59 million eligible voters, which would be a historic low amid mounting calls for a boycott.
Rouhani, who had publicly protested the Guardian Council's rejection of high-profile nominees, pleaded with the Iranian public to vote nonetheless.
Find out more about AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Facebook: [ Ссылка ]
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]
You can license this story through AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
