Tehran, Iran, May 19
By Mehdi Sepahvand –- Trend:
The 12th round of presidential election started in Iran on May 19 at 8:00 local time, along with city and village councils and parliament elections. There are about 56 million eligible Iranians and they have until evening to vote at one of 63,500 polling stations across the country.
Trend has conducted interviews with people from different ages, occupations, genders, and political views to find about their concerns over the election.
“The higher the turnout, the prouder the country will be. Anyone who becomes president, others should accept him,” a clergyman told Trend May 19 while he was filling out his ballots.
“The good president is one who obeys the Supreme Leader, says no to enemies, cares for the less able strata of society, and makes Iran the number one regional power as envisioned in the 2025 document,” he said.
An elderly lady sitting on a chair waiting for her son to fill out her ballot said voting is “a duty” and a tribute to the young ones who were killed in the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s.
“One has to care for these kids, rather than boast about his own person. I hope someone comes and stops these guys,” she said, trying not to refer to any person in name.
Asked about his reasons for coming to the polling station, a man in his late 20s said, “There is no need for many reasons, just one suffices. I had decided not to vote until early this week. But then I found a reason to vote.”
“A president should take care of domestic security and push for decent foreign relations. He should help Iran regain its value in international circles. Naturally economy is the most important issue. Our generation, for their high population, bore the brunt of economic problems,” he added.
Another young man, wearing a shirt with a printed face of an Iran-Iraq war martyr, said there are factors to a good president which one should learn about from the guidelines of trusted people, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“These are the factors for which the people carried out the revolution, lived through the war, and have been standing up against internal and external enemies. If we do not make our decision, we will not be able as a minority to decide for the majority,” he said.
A young lady, meanwhile, said she expects the future president to remain faithful to what he has promised during his campaign. “Employment, education, and economy are the most important things that he should consider,” she stressed.
Asked what she thought about the necessity of voting, she said, “It feels good to know one vote counts and that you are taking part in deciding your own future. If the one I like becomes president, then I will be so happy. If the other way round happens, then the choice of people will be respected all the same.”
