Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi, RUSI, 19 May 2017

Today’s presidential election in the Islamic Republic pits moderate incumbent Hassan Rouhani against Ebrahim Raisi, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s favourite and his possible successor.

Iranians go to the polls today to vote in the twelfth presidential elections since the establishment of the Islamic Republic in 1979. The last elections, in June 2013, led to the victory of moderate Hassan Rouhani who, after eight years of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, guided Iran towards engagement, rather than confrontation, with foreign governments.

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The complete article can be found on the RUSI website.