Days before the upcoming June 17 presidential elections, a number of Iranian officials have voiced their concern about the high level of public apathy towards the elections, fearing that without a high population turnout the entire process would no longer be seen as legitimate, especially after Irans powerful hard-line watchdog banned over 1,000 prospective candidates from standing.
If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the ballot, it would be the first time since the 1979 revolution that a second round of elections would have to be held to choose between the two strongest candidates.
Ayatollah Nasser-Makarem Shirazi, one of the highest-ranking clerics in the holy city said, We must create excitement and interest for people to take part in the elections but while encouraging people, we must not allow for the elections to go into a second round.
We must do something for candidates from all factions to reach some sort of unity so that there is not a split vote between them, Shirazi said.
With only days to go, neither the conservative or reformist factions have been able to rally around a single candidate of their chose.
Shirazi stressed that if there was widespread voter apathy and if there was a boycott of the polls then people should expect twice as much hardship as before.
