Hardline judiciary head Ebrahim Raisi wins Iran presidency following low election turnout

Iran’s hardline chief justice won a landslide victory on Saturday in the country’s presidential election, a vote that both propelled Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s protégé into Tehran’s highest civilian position and saw the lowest turnout in the Islamic Republic’s history.

The election of Ebrahim Raisi, already sanctioned by the United States in part over his involvement in the mass execution of thousands of political prisoners in 1988, became more of a coronation after his strongest competition found themselves disqualified from running.

That sparked calls for a boycott, and many people apparently decided to stay home — with only 28.9 million voting out of