(5 Jul 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Dubai – 05 July 2024
1. SOUNDBITE (English) Jon Gambrell, The Associated Press:
"The Iranian government is holding a runoff presidential election today. It is pitting the former nuclear negotiator and hard-liner Saeed Jalili against the reformist politician and lawmaker Masoud Pezeshkian. Now this race is about the presidency, obviously. But perhaps more importantly for the Iranian theocracy, it’s about turnout. Last week’s first round of voting saw no candidate get the over 50% required to take the election in the first round. It also saw the lowest turnout in the history of Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Now, officials in the time since have tried to downplay that. But the government for decades has pointed to voter participation as a sign of the wider population support for the Shiite theocracy. So today, officials up to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have said that we have seen higher turnout, but there have been online videos of largely deserted polling centers, as well as a survey of centers in Tehran — several dozen of them — saw pretty light traffic. That is contrasted against what the officials are saying and what’s been aired on state television, which is showing polling centers around the country with modest lines but steady business. So as of right now, we’re waiting to see whether Iran is going to choose this hard-liner or this reformist politician who has deep ties to the government. But for the theocracy, just how many people turn out might be the most important vote of all."
++ENDS ON SOUNDBITE++
STORYLINE:
Iranians voted Friday in a runoff presidential election between a hard-line former nuclear negotiator and a reformist lawmaker.
Both candidates have tried to convince a skeptical public to cast ballots after years of economic woes and mass protests roiling the Islamic Republic.
The race between hard-liner Saeed Jalili and Masoud Pezeshkian, a heart surgeon and longtime member of parliament, comes after a first round of voting saw the lowest turnout ever for an Iranian election, leaving turnout Friday a major question.
"Last week’s first round of voting saw no candidate get the over 50% required to take the election in the first round," the AP’s Jon Gambrell explains.
"It also saw the lowest turnout in the history of Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution."
A heavy security presence could be seen on the streets of Tehran on Friday, as crowds appeared light at dozens of polling places.
State television broadcast scenes of modest lines at polling centers around the country.
Both Jalili and Pezeshkian voted in southern Tehran, home to many poor neighborhoods, in a bid to boost turnout.
Though Pezeshzkian came out on top in the first round of voting on June 28, Jalili has been trying to secure the votes of people who supported hard-line parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, who came in third and later endorsed the former negotiator.
State television broadcast images of modest lines at select polling places around the country as polls opened Friday.
As has been the case since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, women and those calling for radical change have been barred from the ballot while the vote itself will have no oversight from internationally recognized monitors.
===========================================================
Clients are reminded to adhere to all listed restrictions and to check the terms of their licence agreements. For further assistance, please contact the AP Archive on: Tel +44(0)2074827482 Email: info@aparchive.com.
Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/
You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/28d440d1bb5f482ea4e38c54d7d906cf
Author: AP Archive
Go to Source
News post in July 10, 2024, 6:04 pm.
Visit Our Sponsor’s:
News Post In – News
