Iran president vote heralds full conservative control

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.