DH Deciphers | Iran presidential election, nuclear deal and India

Ebrahim Raisi, a hardliner, has been chosen as the next president of Iran in an election that saw the lowest voter turnout (48.8%) since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Many Iranians didn't vote because they saw the election as being rigged to favour Raisi, who is considered close to the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Raisi's election comes at a particularly challenging time for Iran, whose economy has been crippled by US sanctions over its nuclear programme. Iran has already started indirect talks with the US to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, which Raisi had endorsed during his election campaign. It's not just the west that has stakes in the Iran elections. India, too, has taken interest in developments in the West Asian country. Here's the lowdown on Raisi's victory and what it means for different stakeholders:

Why do Iranians see the election as being rigged?

Raisi, 60, enjoys the backing of the hardline camp and is seen as the likely successor to 82-year-old Khamenei. Out of the 592 candidates who registered to run for the president, only seven were approved by Iran's Guardian Council. Three of them later dropped out. Apart from Raisi, the other candidates were Mohsen Rezaei, Abdolnasser Hemmati and Amir Hossein Ghazizadeh. Out of the more than 59 million eligible voters, only 28.9 million voters exercised their franchise. Raisi secured 17.9 million votes, Rezaei 3.4 million, Hemmati 2.4 million and Ghazizadeh over a million. That's nearly 25 million votes. What about the remaining votes, you ask? Well, 3.7 million votes were 'blank and void votes (Iranians who are not happy with any candidate can submit blank ballots. This is somewhat similar to India's very own NOTA (None of the above) option.

While the low turnout and the large number of void votes reflect the disillusionment of the reformists, Raisi's election has put the conservatives back in control. "It's a reaffirmation of the ideals of the Islamic Revolution. Many Iranians are still beholden to it," Nakeer Syed, a PhD scholar at Iran's Kharazmi University, tells DH.

How has the west reacted? What about the nuclear deal?

The US said it regretted that Iranians were not able to participate in a "free and fair electoral process" but asserted that it would continue indirect talks with Iran to revive the nuclear deal. The Ayatollah wants to restore the deal and so does Raisi. One theory in the US is that Raisi's victory has given President Joe Biden a golden opportunity to strike a deal with Iran before early August when the president-elect takes office. The Iranian conservatives want the deal to come through under a reformist (meaning the current president Hassan Rouhani). If the deal doesn't benefit Iran, the conservatives can blame the reformists. But if it does and helps revive the economy, they can claim credit. According to Syed, the 2015 deal had "largely remained on paper". "The promised relief from sanctions didn't quite help Iran export its oil and do business with the world," he says.

What is India's take?

In a tweet on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Raisi, stating: "I look forward to working with him to further strengthen the warm ties between India and Iran". India has stated that it would resume buying oil from Iran once the US sanctions are eased. India can also expect to work on the Chabahar port, which will provide it with a trade route with Afghanistan, Syed explained.