Parliament speaker. The Tehran mayor. A heart surgeon. The race is on for Iran's next president
Six candidates have been approved by Irans theocracy to run in Fridays presidential election to replace the late President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash with several other officials in May.
Among them, Irans parliament speaker stands out as the most recognizable figure. A little-known politician and heart surgeon is also on the ballot. He is the only reformist while the others are more skewed toward hard-liners who back Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei without question and challenge the West.
And if previous elections are a guide to Iranian politics, several candidates could drop out in the final days before the vote to coalesce around a unity candidate.
On Tuesday, Khamenei called for maximum voter turnout in the election, which analysts say could support the reformist candidate. A parliamentary election in Iran earlier this year saw the lowest turnout since the countrys 1979 Islamic Revolution.
https://apnews.com/article/iran-president-election-candidates-a4261e72a90f7c7436499c0c6b3f66aa
They're probably a lot like the MAGAs. Who can be the biggest asshole?