Critics say Iran presidential election runoff not competitive despite uncertainty about likely victor

"The U.S. says the Islamic republic’s elections are neither free nor fair because its ruling system disqualifies candidates deemed not sufficiently loyal to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Iranian government also has a record of inflating turnout figures to boost its domestic legitimacy, according to independent research and advocacy groups such as U.S.-based United Against Nuclear Iran.

UANI’s director of research on Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Kasra Aarabi, co-authored a June 25 report asserting that a shadowy IRGC branch called the Baqiatallah Headquarters has been a leading force in rigging Iranian presidential and parliamentary elections. The report cited what it called primary Persian sources, including official IRGC material, presentations and recordings obtained from government offices."