This past weekend, Iranians voted to elect a new president to replace Ibrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in May. At least, some Iranians did.
The turnout in the elections was barely 40%, the lowest percentage in Iran's presidential election history. Millions of Iranians, disillusioned by decades of unfulfilled political promises, just stayed home on election day. When it was all over, neither of the two leading candidates — the more moderate Masoud Pazeshkian nor the hardliner Saeed Jalili — had won more than 50 percent of the vote, and the right to claim the presidency.
That means that there there will be a second round of voting on July 5, with only those two men on the ballot.
CBS News senior foreign correspondent Elizabeth Palmer spoke with CBS News' resident Iran producer Seyed Bathaei after the first round in Tehran about the candidates, their ability to improve people's lives and how they might impact Iran's relationship with the West.
What follows is a transcript of their discussion, edited for clarity and to remove repetition. You can watch the video of the conversation in the player at the top of this page.
Elizabeth Palmer: We are heading into a second round between the two main candidates from this first round. Tell us a little bit about them — first of all, Mr. Jalili.
Seyed Bathaei: Well, Mr. Jalili is called a hardliner. He himself likes to be called a principlist. He was a hardliner [nuclear] negotiator long ago… known for his tough stance on the West. So many people believe that if he becomes Iranian president, Iran will probably have much more problems with the West.
Palmer: How does Mr Jalili intend to restore the economy if he does not try to thaw relations with the West and the US?
Bathaei: He has promised that they will rely on local resources rather than looking to the West to solve problems, meaning that even if the nuclear deal will not be renegotiatedIran can still do just fine.
Palmer: By being radically self-sufficient? A kind of 100% made-in-Iran policy?
Bathaei: Yes. Also focused on how Iran now has a lot of strong, powerful friends — Russia and China. Iran really relies on these relationships…[which is] called a turning point to the East.
Palmer: So would Mr Jalili be happy to seek support in the East, particularly Russia and China, and in effect turn his back on the West, America and Europe?
Bathaei: Iranian officials – the entire government – have said this is the West's fault, because the West withdrew from nuclear dealand that the West was not happy with the results of the negotiations. They say that the West has never been seriously involved, economically, with Iran. So, Iran is now looking to the East instead.
Palmer: But the deal eased the sanctions a little bit and life improved a little bit. How do they explain that?
Bathaei: That is the argument of people who are disappointed with the government and want changes. And that is also what Mr. Pezeshkian, the other candidate, the moderate, has promised.
Palmer: Tell us something about him.
Morteza Fakhri Nezhad/IRIB/WANA/Handout via REUTERS
Bathaei: Mr Pezeshkian is a long-time member of parliament. He is a heart surgeon himself, was a health minister for a while and has promised to repair relations with the West as much as possible. He believes that the rules on many issues that people have been protesting over the past two years, including the wearing of the hijab, should be relaxed. Some believe he can deliver, but many also think that within the framework of the current Iranian constitution he will not be able to deliver on many of those promises.
Palmer: What power does the President actually have, since the grand national strategy is determined by the Supreme Leader?
Bathaei: Well, as you know…, in Iran a president is almost equivalent to a vice president in Western democracies. The president can set the tone and has limited administrative power, but he cannot change foreign policy, for example.
Palmer: Does the average citizen care who the president is? Do you feel it in your life?
Bathaei: Well, the nation is divided. Some people think that yes, they matter, because they…[implement] rules and regulations. But perhaps those who didn't participate in yesterday's election believe that, no, the president doesn't matter because nothing is going to change anyway.
Palmer: Now that this race has been narrowed down to two candidates, at opposite ends of the spectrum, is it likely that it will drive all sorts of people to the polls for a runoff? Those who weren’t there in the first round, perhaps?
Bathaei: I think both candidates are counting on that. But Iranians are so unpredictable, so who knows? Maybe next Friday a lot of people will show up to decide who will be the next president, and maybe the outcome will bring about some changes, even if they are small.
Palmer: Would you say that economic well-being is the most important issue for most voters, many of whom have been in the race for some time? subject to sanctions?
Bathaei: Yes, I believe that the economy is the most important thing. People who go to the polls want to put food on the table, to support their families, to put their children through school. But we also have many young people, intellectuals, university students, who want a better relationship with the West, so that they can spend time there, study there, visit their families. They also want to see hard rules, such as dress codes and music for women, relaxed.
Palmer: These issues are very contentious. As you said, they were the cause of the major uprisings in 2022. Does a president actually have the power to change these things, or to modify or ease the burden of such regulations?
Bathaei: Well, that's what a lot of people think. Of course, there are things that can't be drastically changed, even if the president wants to, because of religion. For example, the Islamic Republic of Iran can't disapprove of the hijab, but it could certainly change how the laws around it are enforced.
Palmer: Stricter or less strict, it is a matter of degree.
Bathaei: Yes, and how people who sing on the street are treated.
Palmer: Could a president then simply allow a little discontent and a little protest, rather than ordering a heavy-handed approach?
Bathaei: Yes, I think so. It is not expected that the next president will be a friend of the US or an ally of the West, but certainly, small steps in both directions matter.
Elizabeth Palmer
