Iran Presidential Election June 12: Ahmadinejad Seeks Re-Election

The Iranian presidential election will take place June 12, 2009.

Hardline incumbent president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has fought a long and difficult campaign with former Iranian prime minister Mir Hossein Mousavi, a moderate who has declared intentions to bring reform to Iran. Though there are two other candidates, reformist Mehdi Karrubi (former parliament speaker) and conservative Mohsen Rezai, most believe the election will come down to a close competition between Ahmadinejad and Mousavi.

This election is notable for what may be unprecedented levels of participation and dialogue surrounding the candidates, their campaigns, and the future direction of Iran. Despite the persistence of continued crackdowns in some areas, the election marked the first time Iranian presidential candidates debated with each other on live TV, addressing controversial topics such as the state of human rights in Iran.

The campaign period has been marked with large rallies supporting both reformist and conservative candidates, while threats and accusations of lying, corruption, and election rigging have flown between all four contenders.

While most of the Iranian population appeared disillusioned or disinterested, or actively abstained from voting in the country's last election in 2005, a significantly sized voter turn-out is expected for this election, in particular among younger voters.

Humanitarians around the world are hopeful that this election will mark an important change in Iran and how it addresses human rights and other important issues in the country. Mousavi, as part of his campaign platform, has promised to address women's rights and gender discrimination.

This election is also significant for its potential influence on relations between Iran and the United States. The Obama administration recently postponed a bill that would have placed further sanctions on Iran, indicating interest in opening the way to possible dialogue between the two countries, breaking a decades-long silence between Iran and the U.S.