The story: Iran has cleared five conservatives and one Reformist to run in the June 28 snap presidential elections. The disqualifications of conservative former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (2005-13) and Reformist ex-vice president Eshaq Jahangiri (2013-21) were expected. However, the barring of moderate former parliament speaker Ali Larijani (2008-20) from the race has surprised some observers.

Reactions to the finalized list of candidates are deeply divided. A low voter turnout is generally seen as favoring hardliners such as Saeed Jalili. On the other hand, some observers posit that the upper echelons of the state are in fact paving the way for Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf to ...