Tehran –
The first round of Iran’s presidential elections showed a decline in support for both reformists and conservatives, even as some voters push for change by backing the only reformist candidate, analysts say.
Masoud Pezeshkian, the reformist candidate, and ultra-conservative Saeed Jalili led the election on Friday to replace the late ultra-conservative President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash last month.
Friday’s vote, marked by a historically low turnout, “clearly shows that the base of both reformists and conservatives has shrunk significantly,” said Ali Vaez of the International Crisis Group think tank.
