Iran will hold presidential elections on June 28. Tens of millions of voters will elect a successor to Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a plane crash a few weeks ago.
Former Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called for votes for the candidate from the reformist camp, Masoud Pezeshkian. “This worthy man and patriot will free us from the sanctions that have caused such damage to our economy,” the former president said.
Other prominent members of the moderate camp also spoke out in support of Pezeshkian: former President Mohammad Khatami and former Foreign Minister Muhammad Javad Zarif.
However, analysts note that Pezeshkian was allowed to participate in the elections only to increase turnout, and the real candidates are hardliners – the head of parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Ayatollah Khamenei’s representative on the Supreme National Security Council, Saeed Jalili.