A number of student, professional and civil society groups have denounced the candidates as “known criminals” and called for a boycott of Iran's upcoming presidential elections.
A joint statement from 12 student groups criticized the presidential candidates, describing them as “a handful of known criminals against the Iranian people, returning to the presidency of a government at war with its people.”
The signatories called the presidential election a “farce” because the candidates approved by the Oversight Council do not represent the Iranian people. They said the candidates were “merely a tool and a mechanism to install another person who has committed crimes against humanity as president.”
The statement further stressed that the candidates had no real choice and were ultimately selected by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. “Elections in the Islamic Republic are appointive from among agents of the regime dedicated to maintaining the policies of an Islamic dictatorship based on misogyny, imprisonment, torture and execution,” the group said.
Six candidates are standing in the June 28 general election following the sudden death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash. Only one is from the reformist camp, but even that one has been accused of cozying up to Khamenei in a bid to win a seat.
