Haj Akhund Galdi Kamali, a senior member of the Sunni jurisprudential council of Iran, told his congregation in North Khorasan province to vote for Ebrahim Raisi. The Haj Akhund said “all of you dear Turkmen people of North Khorasan, wherever you are and whatever your inclination and thoughts, are expected to be an enthusiastic and public presence at the ballot box with your vote for Ayatollah Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi on Friday the 18th” of June.
Reformist candidate Mohsen Mehr-Alizadeh said that for the country to move forward, all factions need to put their differences aside and think only of the future. Mehr-Alizadeh added that if elected, “I promise to be the president of all Iranians, regardless of any language, religion and thought”. Invoking his religion (Islam), his country (Iran) and his background (Azerbaijani), Mehr-Alizadeh declared “let’s all come together to build Iran for all Iranians”.
IRNA published a series of analyses from political scientists about patterns of voting in Sistan-Baluchistan province, where a large minority population of Sunni Baluch live. One local Baluch political scientist commented that ethnic Baluch tend to vote for the candidate endorsed by their tribal leader, religious leader or educated ethnic activists: “in all elections, whether of local councils or the Majles [or Presidency], a list of candidates approved by the elites, elders and [Sunni] clerics is issued by one of our religious centres, and most people vote for the same list”. Historically, minorities like the Baluch tend to vote for more moderate candidates.