As of 8 a.m. local time on Thursday, Iran began an electoral silence period, preceding the second round of the 14th Iranian presidential election scheduled for Friday.
Voters will choose the country’s new president between reformist candidate Massoud Pezeshkian and conservative candidate Saeed Jalili. They are vying to succeed the late President Sayyed Ebrahim Raisi, who tragically died in a helicopter crash on May 19th in northwestern Iran.
The electoral silence period typically begins when the election campaign period ends, lasting for four days in this round. During this time, candidates are prohibited from engaging in any election-related activities, including those in the media or on social networks.
Campaigns for Iranian candidates began last Sunday after the results of the first round were announced on Saturday.
In the first round, the reformist candidate led with approximately 43% of the 24.5 million votes, while the conservative candidate came in second with 38%.
Since neither candidate received more than 50% of the vote, a runoff election was scheduled according to Iranian election law. Considerable uncertainty surrounds the outcome of the presidential election, with opinion polls indicating a close race between Jalili and Pezeshkian.
Officials, including Supreme Leader Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenei, have called for widespread participation in the second round of elections.
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says those who love Islam, Islamic Republic, and progress of Iran, should show it by participating in election.https://t.co/tTuN2IH93A pic.twitter.com/mKJPuFAe5F
— Mehr News Agency (@MehrnewsCom) July 4, 2024
Source: Iranian News Agencies (Edited by Al-Manar English Website)
