Iran is set to elect a new president on Friday as hardline conservative Dr. Massoud Pezeshkian goes head-to-head with reformist Saeed Jalili in a presidential run-off. The election comes after Iran's previous president Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash in May, which saw seven others also die. Dr. Pezeshkian has gained traction among voters by calling for moderation in both foreign and domestic policy, while his rival Mr Jalili rejects any accommodation with the West and supports strict social restrictions. Both candidates had to make it through a vetting process run by Iran's Guardian Council, which saw 74 other candidates removed from the race, including several women. The Guardian Council is made up of 12 clerics and jurists that hold significant power in Iran and has previously been criticised for disqualifying candidates who are not loyal enough to the regime. In the first round of voting on June 28, a historically low voter turnout of 40% was recorded. The low turnout could be a deciding factor in the run-off, with many young and middle-class Iranians deeply mistrusting the establishment and refusing to vote. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has rejected suggestions that the low turnout represents a rejection of his rule, stating that politicians and sociologists will examine the reasons behind it. Local media in Iran has encouraged people to cast their votes, with reformist daily newspaper Sazandegi stating
