As folks waved Iranian flags and blue flags adorned with Mr. Suleimani’s face, a speaker instructed the viewers that Mr. Raisi would get rid of all inequality in Iran and eradicate “the slightest speck of corruption.”
Two ladies in attendance stated they revered Mr. Raisi’s {qualifications} as a judiciary head who had battled corruption up to now. However greater than that, they stated displaying up was a patriotic obligation.
“I need to present my help to the revolution,” stated Zahra Shahrjerdi, 61, a retired instructor.
“There are issues within the Islamic Republic, however we imagine the system is nice,” stated her daughter, Fatemeh Ghanaati, 35, a major schoolteacher.
Others, nevertheless, had lengthy since reached the alternative conclusion, that the issue was the Islamic Republic. Presidents would possibly come and go, however the true energy remained concentrated within the palms of the supreme chief and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, who some presidential candidates on this election have known as the “shadow authorities.”
“I voted for 4 completely different people up to now, they usually couldn’t do the job,” stated Zohre Afrouz, 58, a seamstress who stated she may barely afford hire and had given up on ever shopping for a automobile regardless of 12-hour workdays.
She regretted her vote as a result of irrespective of who the president is, “all of them are confined to a framework, and the insurance policies are dictated to them,” she stated. “My vote has no worth.”
Amir, 30, a jewellery salesman on the Grand Bazaar, was blunter.
“Our nation, it needs to be demolished and rebuilt,” he stated. “It’s no use.”
Vivian Yee reported from Tehran, and Farnaz Fassihi from New York.
