Tehran, Iran – Seven candidates qualified to run in Iran’s June 18 presidential election have gone head-to-head in a televised debate, as controversy over the disqualification of other hopefuls persists.
Saturday’s three-hour event focused on the economy, which has taken a big hit in the past three years under United States sanctions and is characterised by rampant inflation and high unemployment. Two more debates are due to be held on Tuesday and next Saturday.
The first session was held without any moderation. Instead, the state television presenter picked out numbered balls from glass containers indicating what randomly selected question was to be asked to which candidate, who then had three minutes to offer their response.