The elections in Iran need to be watched more meticulously than they were in 2009. The green revolution (in which people condemned the 2009 elections as unfair and demanded Ahmedinejad’s resignation) may have been ‘suppressed’, but there is every possibility of the resurgence of a similar movement against theocracy in Iran. Actually, the results of the June 14 elections can take the country to one of two extremes. On the one hand, a new president can renegotiate terms with the west and put the economy, which is in dismal condition, back on track. But this seems a remote possibility given the strange way democracy works in Iran. Out of 686 candidates who had registered this year for the presidential elections, the Guardian Council (a 12-member body that wields considerable power and influence in Iran and vets candidates for presidential elections) has allowed only eight to run for the final race. And six out of these are believed to be protégés of the Supreme Leader Sayyed Ali Khamenei. The Guardian Council is heavily influenced by him. The Supreme Leader in no way seems inclined towards renegotiating terms with the west and has severely criticised the attitude of the west towards Iran. Nuclear energy is seen as national pride and all other issues have become secondary for Iran’s leaders. If the new president challenges these ideals of the Supreme Leader, something of a standoff that existed between Ahmadinejad and Khamenei may become more deep-rooted with the new president, and the country may see a change. Many in Iran have begun to question the absolute power of the Supreme Leader. What matters most is that the rejection of popular candidates like the former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Ahmedinejad’s favourite Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei have given all of them a reason to come under a common umbrella. The conference in Stockholm last week calling democracy in Iran a ‘charade’, which brought republicans, leftists, constitutional monarchists and the green movement leaders under one umbrella, serves as an example of this convergence. Although the president wields no significant powers in Iran, yet his position cannot be ignored. The Supreme Leader decides all policy matters related to foreign affairs, nuclear energy, etc, yet the president controls the economy, which most Iranians are more concerned about. Currently, the economy is in shambles because of the sanctions imposed by the west. The value of the Rial has fallen by more than 60 percent since 2011, and inflation is at an all time high, besides increasing the unemployment rate that stands at more than 12 percent compared to much lower numbers before 2011. Common Iranians are now more concerned with day to day rising costs than nuclear ambitions. On the other hand, which is a major possibility, the new president will probably be a protégé of Khamenei. Saeed Jalili is seen to be the one leading the race, if pre-election rallies are anything that can be used as an indicator of success. Jalili, a former member of the Revolutionary Guard, who lost his leg in the Iran-Iraq war, is known as the ‘living martyr’ in Iran. Jalili is an outspoken leader who was Iran’s nuclear negotiator and is considered anti-west. He is least concerned about the economy and follows the footsteps of the Supreme Leader. It is widely believed that if Jalili wins, relations with the west will be further strained and Iran’s economy may face more severe repercussions. In a televised interview last week, Jalili proclaimed that Iran should cut its dependency on oil revenues and establish a “resistance economy in order to foil the conspiracies against Iran.” Many in Iran are still trying to make out what a resistance economy is all about and how it can be brought about as Jalili offered no explanations. Iran does not lend itself to simplification. Every day a new façade is seen and time is the only thing on which one can rely. However, it is hoped all turns out good for Iran because if Iran falls, the Muslim world will lose much sheen. The writer is a mechanical engineer working with NTPC Ltd. He is a freelance blogger