French Media: Changes After Iran's Elections Will Be 'Limited'

The second round of Iran's presidential elections has received various reflections in French media, which have particularly examined the impacts of this election on the economy under sanctions and Iran's foreign policy. This comes as France is also preparing for its own sensitive parliamentary elections. The newspaper 'Le Monde', the most important publication in Paris, emphasized in its report on Iran's elections that whatever the outcome, the presidential position in Iran has limited powers. France is one of the European countries that signed the JCPOA and is negotiating with the Islamic Republic regarding the revival of this agreement. Due to the presence of Saeed Jalili in the second round of elections, French media's attention to this election has increased, as they previously recognized him for his inflexible positions in nuclear negotiations. Le Monde quoted Jalili's statements that the JCPOA violated Tehran's red lines by accepting 'unusual inspections of Iran's nuclear sites.' Nevertheless, the newspaper stressed: 'Whatever the outcome of today's voting, the elections should have limited consequences, as the president in Iran is only responsible for implementing the main lines of policy determined by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic.' French state radio also reported from Tehran on the state of the capital's market amid the elections. This radio emphasized that the Tehran market serves as a kind of thermometer for Iran's economic situation, quoting Ali, a clothing store owner, who reported that the current state of business in Tehran's market is bleak, with the main reason for this bad atmosphere being the uncertainty stemming from the presidential elections. He told Radio France that politics has a direct impact on the economy, and if politics goes well, other things will also go well. Another seller, Maryam, also told this French media that she believes people have no hope for their future. This seller emphasized that if the next president of Iran listens to people's problems and solves them, perhaps hope will be reborn and stability will be established. However, Radio France noted that in the large Tehran market, few people engage in dreaming about the future, and traders strive to be realistic. The satirical weekly 'Charlie Hebdo', which previously stirred controversy with its cartoons in Islamic countries including Iran, addressed the elections in Iran in a more candid manner. This weekly noted the nickname that opponents of Ebrahim Raisi had previously given him and also referred to the widespread boycott of the elections, stating that Iranians currently have little interest in choosing their next 'executioner.' Charlie Hebdo also discussed the two candidates present in this stage, stating that Massoud Pezeshkian, known as a 'reformer', was not much more convincing to voters than Jalili. This French publication also emphasized that whoever the president of Iran is, he will be completely subordinate to the traditional positions of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, whether in terms of implementing Sharia commands or in relations with the United States.