Bitterness is high between supporters of the two hardline contenders, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and the more radical Saeed Jalili, neither of whom refused to leave the race to unite behind a single hardline candidate as before. Iranian vote.
The fundamentalist group is composed of social conservatives adverse to rapprochement with the United States. Ghalibaf was considered the regime’s most popular choice to win the tightly managed vote, although the regime’s determination to allow reformist Massoud Pezeshkian to contest resulted in his victory.
Ghalibaf’s allies in this era accused Jalili of exaggerating his recognition and claiming to have complete plans for the presidency.
Mohammed Mohajeri, a conservative journalist, wrote on
Jalili’s supporters clashed face to face in Ghalibaf. Hamid Rasai, the MP who sponsored Jalili, noted: “The best reaction for Ghalibaf is his fourth place in the parliamentary elections (for the Tehran constituency in March), in the city where he served as mayor for 12 years. ”
The fundamentalists will attempt to re-unite under one umbrella because they do not have strong political leaders, with senior figures tending to act on their own perceived religious responsibilities. Facilitation efforts are anticipated to continue, particularly in Parliament.
Jalili’s supporters have again alleged that some of Ghalibaf’s friends are corrupt. He has also criticized those who appear to be living a lavish lifestyle in departure from the principles of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Wahid Ashtari, a man similar to the extremists, was arrested during the campaign after posting a photo of a plane ticket price, claiming that Ghalibaf’s daughter had returned about 300 kilograms of goods from a grocery store in Turkey. Had brought – she claimed and people have denied.
Radical baby-kisser Hamid-Reza Taraghi told the Financial Times: “This election was a blow to them (radicals) who are now blaming each other. They are all guilty.”
He said the hard-liners had “lost because of their own mistakes”, including policy disasters such as the inability to rein in inflation of nearly 40 percent, as well as strategic problems such as choosing not to promote more young applicants. Finding signs of a brand new marketing campaign.
Despite strong support for the ideal leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and his number one branch of power, the Modern Guards, analysts say hardliners have mishandled the economic system under the presidency of conservative Ibrahim Raisi – who died in a helicopter clash. Happened in May – Dissatisfaction erupted in the nation and the government was forced to change direction. Energy conflict has been another issue within the fundamentalist camp.
Since 2020, hard-liners have largely become adept at competing with any alternative in nationwide votes, as the government has emboldened senior reformists. But if Pezeshkian was authorized to run, Iranian analysts and politicians saw it as a tacit endorsement of Khamenei.
Taraghi noted: “The Supreme Leader chose a strategy that is also strategic to lead the country out of the current problems and make the system more efficient and flexible.”
In a week when hard-line hardliners ruled all branches of the state, Pezeshkian, 69,’s victory in Friday’s run-off dealt a significant blow to his camp, which believed it would garner as many as 18 million votes. . Introduced Raisi to energy in 2021.
Jalili, on the other hand, received just 13.5 million votes in the run-off and Ghalibaf received 3.4 million votes. Iranian analysts believe many conservatives who previously supported Raisi voted this week for Pezeshkian, who added 16.3 million votes, as the hard-liners faced defeat even with their traditional base.
Low turnout has traditionally favored radicals, but Pezeshkian broke that trend when he won in the run-off with 49.8 percent of the vote, the lowest in the history of the Islamic Republic.
Regime loyalist Pezeshkian, who spoke of his trust and obedience to Khamenei in the campaign, wants to marginalize radical forces from both the fundamentalist and reformist camps while developing a sense of harmony in the center. In televised debates he said he had recruited conservatives, including those associated with Ghalibaf and the late Raisi, to work on his campaign.
However in pro-reform circles there are issues that hard-liners will seek to undermine any reformist timetable.
The radicals control parliament and the judiciary and also dominate the Modern Guards and the Ideal Leader’s administrative center, which sets most major domestic and international policies.
The recent imprisonment on charges of Mohsen Borhani, a lawyer and rights activist, on Saturday could be seen by reformists as a threat to hard-liners in the judiciary that they will have limited options to change the direction of the country.
Pezeshkian has vowed to seek relief from US sanctions through resolving the nuclear standoff with the West. He has also promised to lift restrictions on social media and end patrolling by morality police, who have enforced hijab laws for women.
Hard-liners argue that Pejcekian cannot exchange the best leader and big-image policies based on the Modern Guard, including hostility to the United States and Israel and supporting regional militias.
“It doesn’t matter who is president, as long as there is this level of hostility on the part of the United States against Iran,” said Foad Ezadi, a staff professor of American research at Tehran College who is similar to the hardliners. “The policy cannot be changed.” ,
There are also issues regarding Iran’s nuclear program and armed forces cooperation with Russia. Pezeshkian has promised to implement Khamenei’s suggestions in those boxes to reduce hardline attacks on his government.
Reformists warned that if the hardliners’ emphasis on Pejeshkian reduced business prospects, social unrest could result.
Sociologist Mohammad Fazeli said that people voted reluctantly and without much expectation. Now, he said, “If they see the ruling regime repeating its previous strategy (of sabotaging reform), I believe the possibility of peaceful political engagement in Iran will collapse”.