'No Legitimacy': Iranian Students Call for Presidential Poll Boycott

A group of students from Allameh University in the Iranian capital Tehran has issued a statement calling for a boycott of the presidential elections.

The students argue that the election "has absolutely no legitimacy and meaning," describing it as merely a competition between hardliners and reformists.

In their critique, the students particularly target reformists, stating that they "do not have the ability to change even a little except by the dictator's decision." 

The statement asserts that elections are currently "irrelevant."

They emphasized the need to be both "idealistic and realistic" to avoid getting trapped "in the confines of the existing situation."

Iran opened polls on Friday for its 14th presidential election following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash last month. 

The contenders are Saeed Jalili, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and Mostafa Pourmohammadi from the fundamentalist faction, while Masoud Pezeshkian represents the reformist movement.

Two candidates, Amirhossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi and Alireza Zakani, withdrew from the race to consolidate fundamentalist support. 

Despite expectations, neither Ghalibaf nor Jalili stepped down in favor of the other.