Iranians will elect a president on Friday in a closely monitored election, following the death of Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash last month. The outcome is expected to influence the succession of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s top decision-maker.
With Iran’s supreme leader now 85 years old, it is likely that the next president will be closely involved in the eventual process of choosing a successor to Khamenei, who has ensured that candidates who share his hardline views dominate presidential elections . The elections coincide with escalating regional tensions due to the conflict between Israel and Hamas, increased Western pressure on Iran over its rapidly advancing nuclear program and growing domestic discontent over political, social and economic crises.
However, the threatened succession of the fiercely anti-Western Khamenei is the greatest concern among the Iranian clerical elite. The Guardian Council, a hard-line vetting body of clerics and lawyers linked to Khamenei, has approved five hardline candidates and one low-profile moderate candidate from an initial pool of 80.
