High Electoral Turnout Vital for Solving Problems, Int’l Presence

To overcome domestic problems and have a powerful presence on international stage require a strong government that can secure a high turnout in the presidential election, the government spokesman said.  
“Maximum participation in 1400 [the current Iranian year] is vital more than in any other [election] round for Iran’s political, social and economic clout,” Ali Rabiei also said at a press briefing on Tuesday, ISNA reported. 
Iran’s 13th presidential election is scheduled for June 18, in which over 59 million are eligible to vote. 
Rabiei called on all involved in the process to be committed and to do all in their power to pave the way for a high voter turnout. 
“Undoubtedly, an administration without a majority public vote will not enjoy enough social support to be able to fulfill people’s needs … at a time when sanctions and the coronavirus have imposed massive economic and social pressure on the country,” he said.
The spokesman stressed thatch a poorly supported government will not be able to safeguard the country’s national interests in view of regional developments. 
“Having an appropriate position in the region and the world requires a high level of social capital which, in turn, requires people’s maximum participation in electing the future president and government,” he said.
Referring to people’s strong vote for President Hassan Rouhani, Rabiei said this contributed to his administration’s success in saving the country from “traps” for jeopardizing the Iranian people’s rights and benefits from global economy and exposing the country to international threats.

Public Backing 

During his tenure, Rouhani’s team managed to strike a nuclear deal with world powers, which saw the removal of international sanctions on Tehran, although ex-president of the United States, Donald Trump, later abandoned it and reimposed the bans. 
Admitting to the failure of Trump’s maximum pressure, the new US administration is now working to rejoin the deal through a series of talks currently underway in Vienna, Austria, with other members of the accord. 
“Hadn’t the government had people’s backing, it would not have been able to put up a victorious three-year resistance,” he said. “A government with minimum vote will not be able to meet the society’s maximum demands.” 
Rabiei hoped that all official media outlets using public money will maintain impartiality so that the country will see a fair and impartial election. 
The registration of potential presidential candidates ended on Saturday, after which the Guardians Council, Iran’s top vetting body, initiated the screening process and is set to issue the final list of candidates on Thursday.
Contenders in the 2021 poll have 20 days to campaign before the Election Day on June 18. A second round will be held on June 25, if needed. 
Political heavyweights, including Judiciary Chief Ebrahim Raeisi, former parliament speaker, Ali Larijani, and Vice President Es’haq Jahangiri have joined the presidential race. 
Other important figures include Saeed Mohammad, former commander of Khatam Al-Anbia Construction Headquarters, a subsidiary of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, former defense minister, Hossein Dehqan, former ICT minister, Mohammad Hassan Nami and former military commander, Alireza Afshar.
The former head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, Ezzatollah Zarghami, former president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, former head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Fereydoun Abbasi, and former oil minister, Rostam Qasemi, are among other key figures who have signed up for the crucial election.