Reflections on Iran’s 2013 Presidential Elections

Abstract

Since 1979 the Islamic Republic has held literally dozens of elections for various bodies and portfolios.Iranian elections are always interesting to observe and despite the authoritarian nature of the regimesuch elections as the presidential ones matter a great deal, for not only do they provide a window ontothe workings of the Islamist state, but more importantly because their outcome really matters and ac-tually does affect the country’s policy process and Iran’s direction of travel. The outcome of such na-tional polls also tells us something about the balance of political forces in this faction-ridden polity. For these reasons, this paper considers the background to the crucial June 2013 presidential elections, re-views the standing of the ‘selected’candidates, and delves into an analysis of the domestic political con-text for the election victory of Hojjatoleslam Hassan Rouhani. In doing so, the paper also explores someof the national and international ramifications of his victory.