In Iran’s Sham Runoff Election, Two Rivals Vie To Serve as the Supreme Leader’s Yes-Man

Despite hopes that one candidate could ‘put Iran back on course to engage with the west,’ an analyst says there is ‘a distinction without a difference’ between the presidential aspirants.

AP/Vahid Salemi
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, arrives to vote at Tehran, June 28, 2024. AP/Vahid Salemi

The winner of Iran’s Friday runoff election will be described in news headlines as either a benevolent “reformist” or a heartless “hardiner.” In reality, Masoud Pezeshkian and Saeed Jalili merely compete to become the Supreme Leader’s yes-man. 

Such was the conclusion of more than 60 percent of Iranians who declined to participate in last week’s first presidential election round. According to an official tally, a record low of only 39.9 percent of the 61.45 million eligible voters bothered to participate in Iran’s faux-democratic process. 

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