Iran blocks moderates from running in June election

TEHRAN—Iran’s electoral body disqualified dozens of candidates for the country’s June presidential election, including nearly all moderates and reformists, a step that narrows the spectrum for political participation at a time when the Islamic Republic faces growing domestic discontent.

The culling of candidates near the center of Iranian politics helps smooth a path to victory for Ebrahim Raisi, a leading hard-line cleric who was defeated in the 2017 election. Analysts warn the move risks reducing voter turnout and further diminishing the popularity of a clerical-led system that has suppressed repeated bouts of political and economic unrest.

“It seems the hard-liners’ plan to fully monopolize power in their hands very much overshadows any desire to present elections in the Islamic Republic as proof of the system’s legitimacy,” said Ali Fathollah-Nejad, a scholar affiliated with Freie Universität Berlin.