Amid fears of low voter turnout in this week's presidential election in Iran, politicians cutting across the political divide have issued calls for maximum participation.
Turnout in the last Iranian presidential election held in 2017 was above 73%.
Iran goes to the polls on Friday to elect a new government, with conservatives holding an edge following the disqualification of key reformist figures by the country's top election supervisory body.
While some supporters of reformists are mulling a boycott of the upcoming vote, many others feel that it could hurt their chances and give conservatives a comfortable win.
Conservatives, on the other hand, fear that a low turnout could raise questions over the legitimacy of the democratic exercise and create more discontent among the sanctions-battered people.
Many top political figures, both conservatives, and reformists, have urged people to head to polling stations this Friday, despite opinion polls giving the former a clear edge.
Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, who had turned down calls to join the race as a reformist contender, on Monday encouraged Iranians to vote on Friday, saying he feels "ashamed" because of economic hardships "making people bitter.”
Rouhani, while calling for a large participation of people in the upcoming election, has repeatedly raised the issue of disqualifications and has hit back at the presidential hopefuls for their acerbic attacks on his government's performance.
On Sunday, the outgoing president posted a video on Twitter, addressing the conservative presidential candidates with a catchy caption: "history will not forget."
Five out of seven candidates in the fray have held Rouhani's administration responsible for myriad economic woes facing the country, with two reformist candidates failing to put up a defense.
Iran's state-run television said Monday that voter turnout in provincial capitals is expected to be around 47%, with judiciary chief and top conservative candidate Ebrahim Raeisi enjoying 58.4% support among voters.
Reformists in Iran have criticized the country's top vetting body the Guardian Council for rejecting key reformist figures, which Rouhani and other reformists had earlier warned could affect voter turnout.
However, the economic difficulties due to rising inflation and low wages, which the government has blamed on US sanctions, have also created a sense of disillusionment among voters, especially the youth.
More than 59 million people are eligible to vote in Friday’s election, apart from around 3 million Iranians living abroad who will be casting their ballots at more than 230 polling booths set up in different countries, according to officials.
REUTERS
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