Four years after the victory in the last elections and only two years after the nuclear agreement with the 5+1 powers, Hassan Rohani, a moderate reformist, is back as a candidate, in opposition to the conservative Ebrahim Chairman.
Despite the last word, however, belongs to the supreme leader, the ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the figure of the president influences the country's image and political decisions.
There are many issues at stake: the relationship between Iran and the international community, interests in the conflict in Yemen and ties with Hezbollah in Lebanon. But above all that of nuclear. Rohani was the main proponent of the agreement reached with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany, and has repeatedly highlighted the advantages deriving from the agreement: easing of economic sanctions from the Western world and greater openness to the rest of the world.
The conservatives led by Raisi instead point the finger at the United States and the European powers.
The impression is that Rohani's policy of openness has instilled confidence in young people and the middle classes, favoring the expansion of the internet and the diffusion of social networks. There is no shortage of skeptics, highlighting the high unemployment rate and the fact that the Rohani government has bowed to the West.
In Iran, the president is elected by a majority of votes, but if no candidate manages to reach an absolute majority in the first round, the runoff is held on the following Friday.
The Iranian interior minister has predicted that approximately 72% of eligible voters will participate in the vote, which is more than 56 million in total.
