After months of trying to manage rising coronavirus numbers, Iran appears ready to move on politically, announcing June 18, 2020, as the date for the country’s next presidential elections. a vote that will determine who will succeed President Hassan Rouhani, who has served two consecutive four-year terms.

The country’s constitutional watchdog, the Guardian Council, approved the date on Monday according to Iranian election headquarters chief Jamal Araf, who shared the information with the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA). Araf further revealed that given the coronavirus crisis, it remained unclear how the election campaign and voting will play out. He, however, noted that the Foreign Ministry was preparing to gather information from countries that had successfully conducted elections during the pandemic.

Candidates hoping to run in the elections are to apply in early April for approval, with a final list to be made public in early June.

Poor Turnout in February

Early this year, Iran held its parliamentary elections, which saw a turnout of 42.57%, the lowest in the country since the 1979 Iranian Revolution and a sign of widespread dissatisfaction in the state of its economy amid intense US pressure.

Rouhani’s Last Bow for Iran

Under the country’s laws, Rouhani is not qualified to run again as an incumbent president cannot run for a third term if he has already served for two consecutive terms in office. Rouhani, who was first elected in 2013 and re-elected four years later, has spent a total of eight years in office. This time in office has not been without its own share of controversy and conflict, especially with the United States.

Two years ago, President Donald Trump pulled the US out of the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, curbing Iran’s nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief. This, along with several other sanctions from Trump, has sent the country’s economy into a downward spiral.