Iranians vote for president on Friday in a contest likely to determine whether Tehran’s re-engagement with the world stalls or quickens, although whatever the outcome no change is expected to its revolutionary system of conservative clerical rule. Although the supreme leader is officially above the fray of everyday politics, Khamenei can sway a presidential vote by giving a candidate his quiet endorsement, a move that could galvanise hardline efforts to get the conservative vote out. “I had decided not to vote ... Rouhani failed to keep his promises. But she eventually decided to vote for Rouhani, she said, because former president Mohammad Khatami, spiritual leader of the pro-reform movement, had publicly backed him. Some experts say Iranian establishment figures may want to keep Rouhani in power to avoid being cast back into isolation.

Source: Hindustan Times May 16, 2017 09:45 UTC