Iran’s Guardian Council Accused of Rigging Upcoming Elections

About 600 candidates applied to run for Iran’s upcoming elections, but only seven were authorised by Iran’s Guardian Council. The council itself was hand-picked by the Supreme Leader, Ali Hamaney. Several prominent reformists including former Parliamentary Speaker Ali Larijani, were disqualified from running. The prominent conservative hardliner Ebrahim Raisi is now the clear favourite to win. Public calls to boycott the poll are raising concerns that voter turnout could be as low as 30%. Guests: Mohammad Marandi Political Analyst and a Professor at Tehran University Golnaz Esfandiari Senior Correspondent for Radio Free Europe Barbara Slavin Author and Director of the Future of Iran Initiative at the Atlantic Council