Iranian citizens headed to the polls Friday to select their country's next president. The two front-runners are incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and reformist candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi.
More than 46 million Iranians are eligible to vote, with roughly 35 percent of the eligible voters between the ages of 18 and 30 — and their votes are expected to be critical. Some Iranian analysts have suggested that Iran’s "marriage crisis" — a situation in which Iranians in their 20s are forced to postpone marriage due to the high cost of housing – could decide the elections.
Another major issue will be unemployment, analysts say. An estimated 20 percent of Iranians are currently unemployed, and the majority of university graduates are unable to find jobs in their fields.
Iran’s president is responsible primarily for domestic issues, while Islamic clerics have the final say in issues such as Iran’s nuclear program and international ties.
By mid-morning, Mousavi’s campaign was reporting alleged elections irregularities. Iranians found themselves unable to send text messages on their mobile phones – a problem Mousavi said was caused by the government-owned telecommunications company, in an apparent attempt to prevent young voters from spreading elections-related information.
In addition, Mousavi accused Ahmadinejad’s campaign of barring his representatives from monitoring certain poll stations.
The Friday elections included two additional candidates: former Revolutionary Guard commander Mohsen Rezaei and former Speaker of the Parliament Mahdi Karoubi. The two have placed in a distant third and fourth in pre-election polls.
Elections results are expected to be finalized on Saturday. If neither of the top two candidates wins a conclusive majority, a second round of voting will be held next week.
Israel Pessimistic: No Change Expected
Israel’s main concern regarding Iran has been the Islamic Republic’s pursuit of nuclear power, and possibly nuclear weapons, coupled with Ahmadinejad’s violent rants against the Jewish State. While Mousavi has criticized Ahmadinejad’s anti-Israel and anti-Semitic rhetoric, officials in Jerusalem do not expect any significant change if he is elected.
Mousavi, formerly Iran’s prime minister, played a key role in establishing Iran’s nuclear program, and he is expected to continue the drive for nuclear energy if elected. Some Israeli defense officials fear that Mousavi’s softer approach could pave the way for Iran to pursue nuclear power without international opposition.
Israel is concerned that the United States and Europe will agree to grant Iran nuclear power, leaving the Islamist-run country a short step away from creating a nuclear bomb.