Low election turnout could spell trouble for Iran regime, experts say

Islamic republic's leaders may face crisis of legitimacy if disillusioned Iranians stay away from polls

The 2021 Iranian presidential election will mark a turning point in the country's history and a fundamental crisis of legitimacy for the regime if turnout fed by disillusionment falls below 50%, according to leading experts.

The election - in effect a contest between the hardline chief of the judiciary, Ebrahim Raisi, and the quasi-reformist former governor of the central bank Abdolnaser Hemmati - has been one of the most engineered in the history of the Islamic republic.