Iran’s Election: Where the Candidates Stand
Iran’s May 19 election is being fought as a referendum on the policies of President Hassan Rouhani, the moderate cleric who championed integrating Iran with the global economy and curbed his nation’s nuclear work in exchange for relief from sanctions. His opponents say gains from the nuclear deal are yet to make their way down to the majority of ordinary Iranians.
Candidates for the 2017 Iranian Presidential Election
Slogan:
“For Rouhani, For Iran”
“The Government of Work and Dignity”
“The Government of the People”
Dropped out and threw support to Raisi
Hassan Rouhani
President
Moderate/centrist
Age: 68
Ebrahim Raisi
Head of the powerful Astan Quds charitable foundation
Conservative/hardline
Age: 56
Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf
Tehran Mayor
Conservative
Age: 55
Rouhani is a former nuclear negotiator and has been the president since 2013. Central to his legacy is the 2015 deal struck with world powers that rolled back economic sanctions and curbed Iran's nuclear program. He has used the campaign to attack his opponents over personal freedoms, corruption and wealthy state bodies that don't pay tax.
Raisi has held a number of judicial roles, including more recently that of deputy judiciary chief and prosecutor general. He was appointed by Iran's highest authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to manage the wealthy Islamic charity that also controls Iran's holy shrine in the city of Mashhad.
Qalibaf is a former Revolutionary Guards air force commander and an ex-chief of the security force. He has long had his eyes set on the presidency, running in 2005 and again in 2013, when he trailed Rouhani. Qalibaf has been the mayor of Tehran since 2005.
“All for Iran”
“Protecting Iran”
“Integrity and Truth”
Dropped out and threw support to Rouhani
Eshagh Jahangiri
First Vice-President
Moderate-reformist
Age: 59
Mostafa Hashemitaba
Former Vice President of Iran
Reformist
Age: 70
Mostafa Mirsalim
Former Minster of Culture and Islamic Guidance
Conservative
Age: 69
A former industry and mines minister, Jahangiri has indicated he is running to boost the president's campaign and will not be competing with him. He is expected to drop out before the election and support Rouhani.
A former top official of Iran’s physical education organization and National Olympic Committee, Hashemitaba was the only reformist allowed to run by the Guardian Council. He is a supporter of the nuclear accord and in the three debates was outspoken about economic harm done by the administration of hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
An engineer and former minister of culture and Islamic guidance, Mirsalim was an adviser to Ayatollah Khamenei when he was president in the 1980s. Educated in France, Mirsalim closed a number of newspapers during his tenure.
Slogan:
“For Rouhani, For Iran”
“The Government of Work and Dignity”
“The Government of the People”
Dropped out and threw support to Raisi
Hassan Rouhani
President
Moderate/centrist
Age: 68
Ebrahim Raisi
Head of the powerful Astan Quds charitable foundation
Conservative/hardline
Age: 56
Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf
Tehran Mayor
Conservative
Age: 55
Rouhani is a former nuclear negotiator and has been the president since 2013. Central to his legacy is the 2015 deal struck with world powers that rolled back economic sanctions and curbed Iran's nuclear program. He has used the campaign to attack his opponents over personal freedoms, corruption and wealthy state bodies that don't pay tax.
Raisi has held a number of judicial roles, including more recently that of deputy judiciary chief and prosecutor general. He was appointed by Iran's highest authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to manage the wealthy Islamic charity that also controls Iran's holy shrine in the city of Mashhad.
Qalibaf is a former Revolutionary Guards air force commander and an ex-chief of the security force. He has long had his eyes set on the presidency, running in 2005 and again in 2013, when he trailed Rouhani. Qalibaf has been the mayor of Tehran since 2005.
“All for Iran”
“Protecting Iran”
“Integrity and Truth”
Dropped out and threw support to Rouhani
Eshagh Jahangiri
First Vice-President
Moderate-reformist
Age: 59
Mostafa Hashemitaba
Former Vice President of Iran
Reformist
Age: 70
Mostafa Mirsalim
Former Minster of Culture and Islamic Guidance
Conservative
Age: 69
A former industry and mines minister, Jahangiri has indicated he is running to boost the president's campaign and will not be competing with him. He is expected to drop out before the election and support Rouhani.
A former top official of Iran’s physical education organization and National Olympic Committee, Hashemitaba was the only reformist allowed to run by the Guardian Council. He is a supporter of the nuclear accord and in the three debates was outspoken about economic harm done by the administration of hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
An engineer and former minister of culture and Islamic guidance, Mirsalim was an adviser to Ayatollah Khamenei when he was president in the 1980s. Educated in France, Mir-salim closed a number of newspapers during his tenure.
Slogan:
“For Rouhani, For Iran”
Hassan Rouhani
President
Moderate/centrist
Age: 68
Rouhani is a former nuclear negotiator and has been the president since 2013. Central to his legacy is the 2015 deal struck with world powers that rolled back economic sanctions and curbed Iran's nuclear program. He has used the campaign to attack his opponents over personal freedoms, corruption and wealthy state bodies that don't pay tax.
“The Government of Work and Dignity”
Ebrahim Raisi
Head of the powerful Astan Quds charitable foundation
Conservative/hardline
Age: 56
Raisi has held a number of judicial roles, including more recently that of deputy judiciary chief and prosecutor general. He was appointed by Iran's highest authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameni, to manage the wealthy Islamic charity that also controls Iran's holy shrine in the city of Mashhad.
“The Government of the People”
Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf
Tehran Mayor
Conservative
Age: 55
Qalibaf is a former Revolutionary Guards air force commander and an ex-chief of the security force. He has long had his eyes set on the presidency, running in 2005 and again in 2013, when he trailed Rouhani. Qalibaf has been the mayor of Tehran since 2005.
Dropped out and threw support to Raisi
“All for Iran”
Eshagh Jahangiri
First Vice-President
Moderate-reformist
Age: 59
A former industry and mines minister, Jahangiri has indicated he is running to boost the president's campaign and will not be competing with him. He is expected to drop out before the election and support Rouhani.
Dropped out and threw support to Rouhani
“Protecting Iran”
Mostafa Hashemitaba
Former Vice President of Iran
Reformist
Age: 70
A former top official of Iran’s physical education organization and National Olympic Committee, Hashemitaba was the only reformist allowed to run by the Guardian Council. He is a supporter of the nuclear accord and in the three debates was outspoken about economic harm done by the administration of hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
“Integrity and Truth”
Mostafa Mirsalim
Former Minster of Culture and Islamic Guidance
Conservative
Age: 69
An engineer and former minister of culture and Islamic guidance, Mirsalim was an adviser to Ayatollah Khamenei when he was president in the 1980s. Educated in France, Mirsalim closed a number of newspapers during his tenure.
Slogan:
“I’m Back”
Hassan Rouhani
President
Moderate/centrist
Age: 68
Rouhani is a former nuclear negotiator and has been the president since 2013. Central to his legacy is the 2015 deal struck with world powers that rolled back economic sanctions and curbed Iran's nuclear program. He has used the campaign to attack his opponents over personal freedoms, corruption and wealthy state bodies that don't pay tax.
“The Government of Work and Dignity”
Ebrahim Raisi
Head of the powerful Astan Quds charitable foundation
Conservative/hardline
Age: 56
Raisi has held a number of judicial roles, including more recently that of deputy judiciary chief and prosecutor general. He was appointed by Iran's highest authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameni, to manage the wealthy Islamic charity that also controls Iran's holy shrine in the city of Mashhad.
“The Government of the People”
Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf
Tehran Mayor
Conservative
Age: 55
Dropped out and threw support to Raisi
Qalibaf is a former Revolutionary Guards air force commander and an ex-chief of the security force. He has long had his eyes set on the presidency, running in 2005 and again in 2013, when he trailed Rouhani. Qalibaf has been the mayor of Tehran since 2005.
“All for Iran”
Eshagh Jahangiri
First Vice-President
Moderate-reformist
Age: 59
Dropped out and threw support to Rouhani
A former industry and mines minister, Jahangiri has indicated he is running to boost the president's campaign and will not be competing with him. He is expected to drop out before the election and support Rouhani.
“Protecting Iran”
Mostafa Hashemitaba
Former Vice President of Iran
Reformist
Age: 70
A former top official of Iran’s physical education organization and National Olympic Committee, Hashemitaba was the only reformist allowed to run by the Guardian Council. He is a supporter of the nuclear accord and in the three debates was outspoken about economic harm done by the administration of hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
“Integrity and Truth”
Mostafa Mirsalim
Former Minster of Culture and Islamic Guidance
Conservative
Age: 69
An engineer and former minister of culture and Islamic guidance, Mirsalim was an adviser to Ayatollah Khamenei when he was president in the 1980s. Educated in France, Mirsalim closed a number of newspapers during his tenure.
A victory for Ebrahim Raisi, Rouhani's leading conservative challenger, would likely worsen already-tense relations with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump—who has described the 2015 nuclear deal as a disaster and Iran as a terrorist-supporting nation that needs to be confronted. A hardline president would also be a further deterrent for foreign investors, the very people Rouhani maintains his country needs to boost its economy and standing in the world.
The following is a run-down of where the top two candidates in the polls stand on the major issues that will face the incoming president.
U.S. Relations
Hostility has been a defining characteristic of Iran-U.S. relations during the four-decade history of the Islamic Republic. President Hassan Rouhani broke a taboo when he spoke on the phone in 2013 with then-U.S. President Barack Obama. Under President Donald Trump, the U.S. has adopted a more aggressive approach to Iran. That, in turn, has fueled discussion in the Iranian state media and during the election debates as to whether the country needed a more confrontational leader to stand up to the U.S.
U.S.-Iran Timeline
2012
U.S. and Iran begin secret talks on nuclear issues
1979
Iran takes 52 U.S. diplomats hostage for 444 days
1988
U.S. warship accidentally strikes Iranian passenger flight, killing 290
2013
Hassan Rouhani is elected president of Iran on centrist platform
1980
U.S. cuts diplomatic ties, seizes assets, and bans most trade
2008
Bush sends official to Geneva for nuclear negotiations with Iran
2002
George W. Bush declares Iran, Iraq, and North Korea an “axis of evil.”
1979
Iran’s Islamic Revolution forces out U.S.-backed Shah
1985
U.S. secretly ships weapons to Iran in exchange for its help in Lebanon. Profits are shipped to rebels in Nicaragua.
July 2015
The U.S. and five other world powers reached nuclear deal that lifted most sanctions on Iran six months later.
Oct. 2007
U.S. announces new sanctions cutting off 20+ orgs. and three state-owned banks from the U.S. financial system.
May 1995
Clinton bans all U.S. trade and investment within Iran.
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
2015
Carter
Reagan
Bush
Clinton
Bush
Obama
Trump
Khamenei
Rafsanjani
Khatami
Ahmadinejad
Rouhani
Banisadr
Rajai
1979
Iran’s Islamic Revolution forces out U.S.-backed Shah
Banisadr
1979
Iran takes 52 U.S. Diplomats hostage for 444 days
Carter
1980
1980
U.S. cuts diplomatic ties, seizes assets, and bans most trade
Rajai
Reagan
Khamenei
1985
U.S. secretly ships weapons to Iran in exchange for its help in Lebanon. Profits are shipped to rebels in Nicaragua.
1985
Bush
1988
U.S. warship accidentally strikes Iranian passenger flight
1990
Rafsanjani
Clinton
May 1995
Clinton bans all U.S. trade and investment within Iran.
1995
2002
George W. Bush declares Iran, Iraq, and North Korea an “axis of evil.”
Khatami
2000
Oct. 2007
U.S. announces new sanctions cutting off 20+ orgs. and three state-owned banks from the U.S. financial system.
Bush
2005
Ahmadinejad
2008
Bush sends official to Geneva for nuclear negotiations with Iran
Obama
2010
2012
U.S. and Iran begin secret talks on nuclear issues
2013
Hassan Rouhani is elected president of Iran on centrist platform
Rouhani
2015
July 2015
The U.S. and five other world powers reached nuclear deal that lifted most sanctions on Iran six months later.
Trump
1979
Iran’s Islamic Revolution forces out U.S.-backed Shah
1979
Iran takes 52 U.S. Diplomats hostage for 444 days
1980
U.S. cuts diplomatic ties, seizes assets, and bans most trade
Banisadr
Carter
Rajai
1985
U.S. secretly ships weapons to Iran in exchange for its help in Lebanon. Profits are shipped to rebels in Nicaragua.
1980
Reagan
Khamenei
1985
1988
U.S. warship accidentally strikes Iranian passenger flight
1990
Bush
Rafsanjani
May 1995
Clinton bans all U.S. trade and investment within Iran.
Clinton
1995
2002
George W. Bush declares Iran, Iraq, and North Korea an “axis of evil.”
Khatami
2000
Bush
Oct. 2007
U.S. announces new sanctions cutting off 20+ orgs. and three state-owned banks from the U.S. financial system.
2005
Ahmadinejad
2008
Bush sends official to Geneva for nuclear negotiations with Iran
2010
Obama
2012
U.S. and Iran begin secret talks on nuclear issues
Rouhani
2015
Trump
2013
Hassan Rouhani is elected president of Iran on centrist platform
July 2015
The U.S. and five other world powers reached nuclear deal that lifted most sanctions on Iran six months later.
Economy
Iran's economy has seen an improvement since the lifting of sanctions in January 2016, with inflation curbed to single digits, from a high of over 40 percent, and gross domestic product growth estimated at more than 6 percent in the fiscal year that ended in March. Unemployment has figured prominently in the election campaign, with Rouhani's challengers saying he hasn't done enough to convert the economic improvement into jobs for the poorer majority.
Inflation, Avg. Consumer Prices
GDP, current U.S. dollars
Unemployment Rate
GDP, current U.S. dollars
Unemployment Rate
Inflation, Avg. Consumer Prices
Inflation, Avg. Consumer Prices
GDP, current U.S. dollars
Unemployment Rate
Source: International Monetary Fund; Bloomberg
Nuclear Deal
The 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers, including the U.S., is central to Rouhani's legacy—and his pitch for a second term. He delivered on a 2013 pledge to end Iran's economic isolation after years of ever-tighter global sanctions. Rouhani's rivals have said the nuclear deal is a national document and needs to be respected by the next government, despite the “flaws” it contains. The governments in Tehran and Washington have accused one another of not living up to the spirit of the agreement, raising questions over its fate should ties between the two spiral downward.
Oil Production in Iran
Millions of barrels per day
Jan. 2016
Sanctions lifted
July 2015
Nuclear deal signed
May
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
April
2017
Jan. 2016
Sanctions lifted
July 2015
Nuclear deal signed
2012
May
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
Jan. 2016
Sanctions lifted
July 2015
Nuclear deal signed
May
2012
April
2017
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
Source: OPEC
Social Freedom
Rouhani has backed greater social freedoms for Iranians. For example, he portrays a freer internet as a civil right and an opportunity, rather than the propagator of immoral behavior seen by some hardliners. But progress has been slow. If he's re-elected and attempts to deliver the more-liberated Iran that he's talked about during the election campaign, he'll have to finally confront conservative institutions that wield a lot of power.
Internet Censorship in Iran
Ratio of censored vs. uncensored content from the top 500 websites across 18 categories, based on analysis of Alexa web-traffic rankings in 2013
95.4%
48.4%
47.8%
40.0%
28.4%
27.0%
21.4%
19.2%
18.6%
Adult
Top 500
Art
Society
News
Regional
Computers
Games
Shopping
18.6%
18.6%
18.4%
14.8%
10.4%
10.2%
6.4%
6.2%
5.0%
Sports
Kids & Teens
Business
Recreation
Home
Health
Iran
Science
Reference
95.4%
48.4%
47.8%
40.0%
28.4%
27.0%
Adult
Top 500
Art
Society
News
Regional
21.4%
19.2%
18.6%
18.6%
18.6%
18.4%
Sports
Kids & Teens
Business
Computers
Games
Shopping
14.8%
10.4%
10.2%
6.4%
6.2%
5.0%
Recreation
Home
Health
Iran
Science
Reference
95.4%
48.4%
47.8%
40.0%
Adult
Top 500
Art
Society
28.4%
27.0%
21.4%
19.2%
News
Regional
Computers
Games
18.6%
18.6%
18.6%
18.4%
Sports
Kids & Teens
Business
Shopping
14.8%
10.4%
10.2%
6.4%
Recreation
Home
Health
Iran
6.2%
5.0%
Science
Reference