Presidential Election in Iran: Low Turnout Boosts Jalili's Chances
While Masoud Pezeshkian faces considerable challenges in the second round of the election, the pro-regime vote is likely to ensure Saeed Jalili's victory.
While Masoud Pezeshkian faces considerable challenges in the second round of the election, the pro-regime vote is likely to ensure Saeed Jalili's victory.
Three candidates have a realistic chance in Iran’s presidential election: strongman Qalibaf, reformist surgeon Pezeshkian, and zealot pen pusher Jalili.
The Guardian Council has again presented the Iranian public with presidential candidates who lack a political program, a social base, and the ability to mobilize voters.
Opposition success in Turkey’s local elections is an unprecedented rebuke to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. While his constitutional power and dominance of the judiciary remain intact, Erdogan is probably in his final term and will find domestic and foreign initiatives somewhat more complicated.
Does a voter boycott matter in a country that is not a democracy, and is there a correlation between lack of electoral participation and political violence?
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has proved he can win a national election without a successful economy; however, he cannot begin to achieve his vision of Turkish greatness without economic greatness as well.
Iraq’s new election law is likely to strengthen the representation of traditional political blocs and weaken smaller parties and independent candidates, however, it is unlikely to notably alter the ethnic and sectarian composition of Parliament.
Should he indeed clinch his third presidential term on May 28, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s detractors at home and in the West will have little choice but to place their hope in his pragmatic side.
Despite the candidates’ contrasting foreign policy approaches, realpolitik considerations and regional developments may prevent a radical shift in Turkish foreign policy regardless of who wins Turkey’s presidential election.
While any U.S.-Iran rapprochement could potentially ease sanctions on Iran, such a shift is poised to generate sharply divergent responses among U.S. allies.
Learn MoreThrough its careful examination of the forces shaping the evolution of Gulf societies and the new generation of emerging leaders, AGSIW facilitates a richer understanding of the role the countries in this key geostrategic region can be expected to play in the 21st century.
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