Iran 2021 presidential polls campaigns will generally be virtual

 Hooman Abedi

Press TV, Tehran

Iran will reach top news headlines in 2021 as the country will hold its thirteenth presidential elections in mid-June. This as, the world is still gripped by the pandemic and the COVID-19 death tolls are continuing to rise, despite the development of a vaccine.

After the disputed US presidential election, all the eyes would now be on Iran’s polls. It will be one of the most unique polls in the country's new century, as observers say it is the most influential and essential country in the Middle East and its future elections can generate significant events in the region and world.

Press TV attended a presser by the head of the country's election commission to see how the polls would be held amid the coronavirus.

The top interior ministry official also noted that they are doing their best not to let the gatherings and campaigns be held physically and instead the people could get to know the plans of the candidates on the mass media.

Head of Election Commission Jamal Orf said that in the first step, those wishing to nominate for the race would probably register via a mobile application and then be invited to the headquarters to finalize their registration process to avoid gatherings.

We asked the deputy interior minister about the possibility of holding the polls in more than a single day or increasing the number of polling stations amid the pandemic.

He also added that some special facilities would be considered for those infected with the coronavirus as well.

Up to now only the former defense minister, Hossein Dehghan, has confirmed his bid for the top political office. Besides Dehghan, the names of many other former officials have come up as potential candidates.

Iran’s thirteenth presidential election is slated to be held on June 18 and people would go to the polls to choose the country’s eighth president. The sixth local councils’ elections will be held on the same day.