Iranians voted Friday in a major test for President Hassan Rouhani, a moderate who hopes to curb conservative dominance and provide an opening for domestic reforms after a nuclear deal with world powers.
The Islamic republic’s ultimate authority, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was among the first to cast a ballot and he urged 55million eligible voters to do so “quickly, as it’s both a duty and a right”.
As well as picking 290 members of parliament, the electorate will also vote in a second election to select the Assembly of Experts, a powerful committee of 88 clerics that monitors Khamenei’s work.
The polls are especially important as they come just one month after sanctions were lifted under the nuclear accord and the vote’s outcome will be seen as a de-facto referendum on Rouhani’s administration.
Known as the “diplomat sheikh” on account of his clerical credentials and willingness to negotiate, Rouhani was the driving force behind the nuclear deal, which he delivered despite political pressure at home.
The agreement raised hopes in Iran but the economy remains in the doldrums after a decade of sanctions that prompted a deep recession followed by high inflation that eroded the public’s purchasing power.
A pro-government coalition of moderate and reformist candidates called “The List of Hope” is representing the president’s ambitions in the polls.
Lawmakers are elected for four years but the assembly has eight-year terms. Should Khamenei, who is 76, die during that time its members would pick his successor.
Voting began at 8:00 am local time and was due to end at 6pm, although officials say polling stations could stay open longer if there are queues.
“We have enemies”:
Observers will be closely watching turnout figures, with higher voter participation expected to benefit moderates and reformers.
Khamenei smiled warmly as he spoke to electoral officials and presented his identity documents before receiving his ballot paper which he posted in a sealed box at 8.09 am.
“Everyone must vote, those who love Iran, those who like the Islamic Republic, those who love the grandeur and glory of Iran,” he said.
Having backed Rouhani in the nuclear talks with the United States, the Islamic republic’s bete noire, Khamenei has since warned against economic and cultural “infiltration” from the US.
“We have enemies. Elections should be such that they make the enemy disappointed. We must vote with insight and open eyes,” he said.
