Iran enters electoral silence in anticipation of tomorrow's election
4 Min Read
After two candidates withdrew from the presidential race, Iran will now go into election silence ahead of the June 28 election.
-
Presidential candidates for the June 28 election from left to right; Amirhossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Masoud Pezeshkian, Saeed Jalili, Alireza Zakani, and Mostafa Pour Mohammadi, attend a debate at a state-run TV studio in Tehran, Iran, on June 17, 2024. (AP)
Election silence has gone into effect in Iran, as the country prepares for an anticipated presidential election tomorrow, on June 28.
The National Elections Commission called on all candidates, parties, political movements, and citizens to halt all promotional activities with the beginning of the electoral silence for the fourteenth presidential elections in Iran.
Four candidates remain in the race, hoping to emerge as the ninth president of Iran, as the process is scheduled to conclude on Friday.
The remaining candidates are Saeed Jalili, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Mostafa Pour Mohammadi, and Masoud Pezeshkian.
Earlier, two candidates had withdrawn from the race at different times, the latest of which was Alireza Zakani, the current mayor of Tehran. Zakani called on either Qalibaf or Jalili to leave the race and secure victory for Iran's Revolutionary Front.
The second candidate to withdraw was Amir-Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi, who withdrew on Wednesday.
Read more: 58K+ polling stations established in Iran for presidential race
Al Mayadeen interviews Iranian gov. spokesperson
In the context of the upcoming election day, the spokesperson of the Iranian government, Ali Bahadori Jahromi, urged large popular participation in the election.
Jahromi spoke with Al Mayadeen on Thursday ahead of the landmark election and discussed a number of issues revolving around the event.
The spokesperson criticized "countries that pay lip service to democracy and prevent Iranian citizens abroad from casting their votes."
He also pointed to the diverse political stances of the candidates but pointed to a unified position in regard to supporting Palestine and the besieged Gaza Strip, among the contenders.
"Our general vision of supporting the Resistance in the region will continue," he said, adding that the Iranian people have felt "a bitter experience" due to the policies of major world powers.
He stressed that "the Islamic Republic's approach towards Palestine cannot be altered regardless of" who wins the election. The spokesperson also stressed that "the security of the region and the development of its economies are linked to strengthening relations among [its nations]."
"The history of West Asia before [Operation] Al-Aqsa Flood is not the same as after it, and the people of Gaza proved the weakness of ["Israel"]," the spokesperson told Al Mayadeen.
He underlined how Operation Al-Aqsa Flood and the Iranian response to the Israeli attack on the embassy are indicators of a global movement toward a new multipolar world.
Jahromi also spoke about strategic cooperation between Iran and Russia, saying that Tehran will continue to work within a framework focused on strengthing regional ties, pointing to the fact that Iran has developed "multifaceted agreements with the countries of the region," which plays into all parties' interests.
Read more: New poll shows Pezeshkian, Jalili top contenders in Iran's elections
Quds Force commander stresses strong stance against Iranian enemies
The Commander of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps' (IRGC) Quds Force, Brigadier General Ismail Qaani, stressed that the country should not practice "leniency toward Iran's enemies, especially the United States, is not possible."
Qaani spoke during a memorial held for late Iranian Foreign Minister martyr Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who tragically passed away forty days ago in a helicopter crash in northeastern Iran, alongside the President martyr Ebrahim Raisi and several others.
President Raisi's death required that the Islamic Revolution's leader Sayyed Ali Khamenei call for early elections, according to the country's constitution.
Raisi's term saw major developments in domestic and foreign policies which saw the country secure several accolades and bolster international partnerships, spearheaded by Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian.
"The standard that must be followed in the elections is the same that made Iranians proud of the martyrs Ebrahim Raisi and Hossein Abdollahian," Kaani stressed.
Read more: Raisi shattered barrier of isolation, sanctions: IRGC chief
