Judge under US sanctions set to take over Iran presidency
DUBAI (Reuters) - Millions of Iranians voted on Friday in a contest set to hand the presidency to a hardline judge who is subject to US sanctions, though anger over economic hardship and curbs on freedoms mean many will heed calls for a boycott.
Senior officials appealed for a large turnout in an election widely seen as a referendum on their handling of the economy, including rising prices and unemployment and a collapse in the value of its currency.
"I urge everyone with any political view to vote," judiciary head Ebrahim Raisi, the front-runner in the contest, said after casting his ballot.
"Our people's grievances over shortcomings are real, but if it is the reason for not participating, then it is wrong."
The interior ministry extended voting until midnight local time (19:30 GMT), Iranian media reported, citing a large number of voters waiting at polling stations.
After voting in the capital Tehran, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged Iranians follow suit, saying "each vote counts ... come and vote and choose your president".
Raisi, 60, is backed by security hawks in his bid to succeed Hassan Rouhani, a pragmatist prevented under the constitution from serving a third four-year term in the post, which runs the government day-to-day and reports to Khamenei.
Voters reached by Reuters expressed mixed views.
Maryam, 52, a hairdresser in Karaj near Tehran, said she would not vote because "I have lost confidence in the system."
"Every time I voted in the past, I had hope that my living standard would improve. But I lost hope when I saw the highest official in the country wasn't brave enough to resign when he couldn't make things better," she said, referring to Rouhani.
BOYCOTT
Mohammad, 40, an engineer, said he would not vote because "the results are known beforehand and more important, if Mr. Raisi was serious about tackling corruption he should have done so by now".
More than 59 million Iranians can vote. Polls close at 1930 GMT but can be extended for two hours. Results are expected around midday on Saturday.
A win for Raisi would confirm the political demise of pragmatist politicians like Rouhani, weakened by the U.S. decision to quit the nuclear deal and reimpose sanctions in a move that stifled rapprochement with the West.
The new sanctions slashed oil exports from 2.8 million barrels per day in 2018 to as low as an estimated 200,000 bpd in some months of 2020, although volumes have since crept up. Iran's currency, the rial, has lost 70% in value since 2018.
Official opinion polls suggest turnout could be as low as 44%, well below 73.3% in 2017.
Khamenei, not the president, has the final say on Iran’s nuclear and foreign policies, so a Raisi win would not disrupt Iran's bid to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement and break free of sanctions.
ECONOMIC MISERY
Raisi was appointed by Khamenei to the job of judiciary chief in 2019. A few months later, Washington sanctioned him for alleged abuses including what rights groups say was his role in the executions of political prisoners in 1980s and the suppression of unrest in 2009.
Iran has never acknowledged the mass executions, and Raisi has never publicly addressed allegations about his role.
Raisi's main rival is the moderate former central bank governor Abdolnaser Hemmati, who says a win for any hardliner will mean more sanctions.