Iran’s only moderate presidential candidate who criticized the brutal suppression of hijab protests takes a shocking lead in the polls despite feared anti-Western former army chief, as voting on replacing leader killed in helicopter crash gets underway go

The only moderate presidential candidate on the ballot in Iran has taken a surprising lead in the opinion polls. He now has an edge over an anti-Western cleric as the country goes to the polls today.

Massoud Pezeshkian is a tentative candidate in the race. He has condemned violent attacks on women by the regime’s morality police, which enforces a strict dress code, calling them “immoral.”

The 69-year-old reformer said: ‘If wearing certain clothes is a sin, then the behavior towards women and girls is 100 times a greater sin. Nowhere in religion is there permission to confront someone because of his clothes.’

Despite remaining loyal to the country’s theocratic rule, Pezeshkian has attracted a huge wave of support from voters desperate to oust the regime of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Meanwhile, his hardline rivals Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, a former commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, and Saeed Jalili, a former nuclear negotiator, continue to lag behind as Iranians rebel against the conservative Ayatollah.

Anti-Western Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, a former commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards

Protesters burn an American and an Israeli flag during the funeral of seven members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps who were killed in an attack in Syria

The polls are now open in the race to replace the late Ebrahim Raisi – the hardline Iranian president who died last month in a helicopter crash on a misty mountainside.

The popularity of Pezeshkian, a former heart surgeon known as someone who is not corrupt, has caused panic among hardliners.

Unlike his radical rivals, he advocates détente with the West, economic reforms, social liberalization and political pluralism.

According to the latest poll from the Parliament Research Center cited by the Tasnim news website, Pezeshkian is expected to finish on top with almost 30 percent.

This showed that hardliner Jalili would come second with the support of 18.8 percent of voters, ahead of Ghalibaf with 16.8 percent.

His chances depend on reviving the enthusiasm of reform-minded voters who have largely stayed away from the polls over the past four years after previous pragmatic presidents achieved little change.

He could also benefit from his rivals’ inability to consolidate hardline votes.

An earlier poll by the Iranian government-funded ISPA on Wednesday showed Pezeshkian leading with 33.1 percent of the vote, and Jalili and Ghalibaf with 28.8 and 19.1 percent respectively.

Saeed Jalili, one of the conservative candidates in the Iranian presidential election of June 28

There are concerns that the two hardliners could split the conservative vote, as two ultra-conservative candidates withdrew earlier this week to consolidate votes.

Turnout is expected to hit a new low as the regime faces a wave of anger and disillusionment, with many saying they do not trust the diplomatic process.

This follows the massive protests that followed the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody in 2022, further widening the rift between Iran’s leaders and its people.

The hashtag #ElectionCircus has been widely posted by Iranians on social media platform X in recent weeks, with some activists at home and abroad calling for an election boycott, arguing that a high turnout would legitimize the Islamic Republic.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks to the media after casting his vote in the presidential election in Tehran

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei addresses the media after casting his vote in Tehran’s presidential elections

Observers have raised concerns that there may have been electoral fraud, claiming that Pezeshkian was only allowed to appear on the ballot to “legitimize” the vote and increase turnout.

Iran’s Supreme Leader called on the public to vote in the snap elections, saying in brief remarks: “I see no reason for doubt.

Khamenei said a high turnout was an “absolute necessity” for the Islamic Republic. He also called the elections an “important political test.”

Raisi, 63, was seen as a protégé of Khamenei and a possible successor to the position of supreme leader in Iran, which has the final say on all state affairs in the Shiite theocracy.