Iran: Voting for Change?
Next week Iranians go to the polls to elect a new president. But how much of a choice do they really have and what difference will it make?
Next week Iranians go to the polls to elect a new president. But how much of a choice do they really have? All six candidates are men, and all six have been chosen by the unelected Guardian Council. The members of the Council are selected by Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has himself never stood for election. So how different are the views of each of the candidates and how much power will the next president have to set a new direction for the country? At a time when the world is looking at Iran following its nuclear deal with the west, Owen Bennett Jones and his guests discuss what difference this presidential election will make.
Photo: Woman voting in Iranian parliamentary elections 2016. Credit: Getty Images
Last on
More episodes
Contributors
Sanam Vakil - associate fellow at Chatham House whose latest article published in Foreign Affairs is titled 'Iran's Next Supreme Leader - The Islamic Republic After Khameni'
Adnan Tabatabai - co-founder and CEO of the Center for Applied Research in Partnership with the Orient in Berlin
Azadeh Moaveni - journalist, lecturer and author of several books on Iran
Christopher de Bellaigue - author of 'The Islamic Enlightment: The Modern Struggle Between Faith and Reason'
Nasser Hadian - professor of political science and international relations at Tehran University
Broadcasts
- Fri 12 May 201708:06GMTBBC World Service except News Internet
- Fri 12 May 201717:06GMTBBC World Service Australasia
- Fri 12 May 201723:06GMTBBC World Service except News Internet
- Sat 13 May 201703:06GMTBBC World Service except Australasia & News Internet
Podcast
![]()
The Real Story
Global experts and decision makers discuss, debate and analyse a key news story.


