Iran Supreme Leader leads prayers at Raisi funeral

22/5/2024 18:09

        Iran's Supreme Leader led prayers in Tehran on Wednesday at the funeral of the late President Ebrahim Raisi, as the clerical establishment hurried to organise an early election that could further erode its legitimacy amid growing public discontent.
        
        The June 28 vote to replace Raisi, killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday, will need to galvanise a population that showed little interest in the 2021 ballot that gave the hardline cleric the presidency, a role that oversees day-to-day government.
        
        Raisi died at a time of worsening strains between the clerical leadership and wider society, aggravated by tightening political and social controls and a worsening economy.
        
        Growing numbers of voters have shunned recent elections, a worrying sign for the leadership, which sees turnout as a credibility test for the 45-year-old Islamic Republic.
        
        "The establishment lacks options to secure a high turnout in such a short period of time," said a former Iranian official