Soroush supports Hemmati

Influential Muslim intellectual Abdol-Karim Soroush announced his support for Abdol-Naser Hemmati. Considered one of the key intellectuals behind the Reformist movement, Soroush has lived abroad for the past twenty years, as his criticism of clerical involvement in government was received with hostility by the regime. Soroush made mention of Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, the two candidates placed under house arrest for their opposition to the 2009 election result, in his message of support for Hemmati. Soroush’s comments would mostly be aimed at educated voters with Reformist inclinations.

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Voting Booths in 11 British Cities

Hossein Matin, the Iranian charge d'affaires in London, said that the British government has permitted Iran to operate 11 polling stations in the UK: five in London and six in other cities, including Leeds, Manchester, and Newcastle. The polling stations will be open from 9am to 7pm, will operate according COVID restrictions and are open to Iranians able to produce a passport, national identity card and birth certificate. 

Read more at ISNA

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Mottaki Pressures Candidates to Resign for Raisi

Manouchehr Mottaki, spokesman for the Unity Council, one of the main Principalist organisations, has joined the chorus of conservative voices calling for the four conservative candidates (Ghazizadeh, Jalili, Rezaei and Zakani) to stand aside for the consensus candidate, Ebrahim Raisi. Mottaki reminded the candidates of the 2013 election, where the large number of conservative candidates on election day split the conservative vote, resulting in the victory of Moderate candidate Hassan Rouhani. Mottaki did not name any names, but only encourage “the five candidates of the Revolutionary Front” to come together and choose a “consensus”.

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Zarif Encourages Iranians to Vote

One-time favourite candidate, Foreign Minister Mohammad-Javad Zarif, released a video on Instagram in which he beseeched Iranians to vote for the good of Iran. Zarif said that boycotting was not a solution, and voting would be a blow to Iran’s enemies, particularly Israel. Zarif added that voting will not only accelerate the end of sanctions but will also insulate Iran from future sanctions.

Watch the video at Eghtesad

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3.5 Million Iranians Abroad Eligible to Vote

Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said that according to official statistics, there are 3.5 million Iranians living abroad who are eligible to vote in this election. Iran usually encourages its diaspora to participate in its elections, although the diaspora vote does not usually influence the result as much as in other countries. Iran has clashed with other countries for not allowing polling stations on their territory, with the most recent being Canada on Friday, which argued that it is under no obligation to do so, especially since Iran and Canada do not have formal diplomatic relations.

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Rezaei Advocates Economic Power for Village and Town Councils

Mohsen Rezaei has once again advocated for a decentralisation of power in Iran, calling for economic policy in Village and Town Councils to be left into the hands of local people. Power in Iran is highly centralised in Iran, and the decentralisation of power is a common policy put forward to deal with ethnic and regional tensions. Local council elections will take place on the same day as the Presidential Election on Friday June 18.

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Ghazizadeh Refuses to Stand Aside for Raisi

Amir-Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi said he will be a candidate on election day, meaning he will not stand aside for Ebrahim Raisi as conservative candidates were expected to do. Ghazizadeh has experienced a rise in popularity in the polls and although he is not considered a serious challenger to Raisi, the polls seem to have influenced Ghazizadeh’s desire to compete on election day.

Read more at IRNA

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Shariatmadari: Failure to Stand Aside for Raisi is a Sin

Hossein Shariatmadari, editor of Kayhan newspaper which is close to the Supreme Leader, today wrote that refusal of four candidates endorsed by the Revolutionary Front in favour of the fifth candidate is a mistake, the consequences of which will be an unforgivable sin. Shariatmadari was referring to the agreement that Amir-Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi, Saeed Jalili, Mohsen Rezaei and Ali-Reza Zakani would have had to have made to be endorsed by the Principalist organisations, that they would stand aside for Ebrahim Raisi before election day so as not to split the conservative vote.

Read more at Entekhab

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