Polling day in Iran’s presidential election may be five months away but the election campaign is already in full swing. Although no one has announced his candidacy so far, it is clear that a record number of the regime’s heavyweights are preparing to throw their hats, caps, or turbans, into the ring. According to tradition, next June’s election should be a routine affair. Since 1982, all presidents of the Islamic Republic have been allowed to win a second and final four-year term, without much serious opposition. This time, however, things are different.
