Iran’s media was consumed by the snap presidential election during a campaign that lasted a mere 18 days. Five of the six candidates were hardliners of differing degrees, but the media gave the lone reformist candidate, Masoud Pezeshkian, disproportionate coverage. Front pages featured photos of the large crowds at his rallies, where green flags were waved and both men and women wore green sashes. Green has been widely associated with reformers since the 2009 Green Movement, when millions turned out for six months to protest an allegedly fraudulent vote that reelected President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The two candidates who opposed Ahmadinejad—a former prime minister and a former speaker of parliament--were put under house arrest in 2011. They remained isolated from the public through the 2024 election.
The media coverage suggested that Pezeshkian, a cardiac surgeon who did not have national name recognition prior to the 2024 campaign, was gaining some momentum, despite polls indicating that the other two leading candidates, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and Saeed Jalili, both attracted slightly higher numbers. Media outlets associated with hardline factions did not appear to uniformly feature either candidate. They appeared on several front pages, but without the same prominence.
Born to an Azeri father and Kurdish mother in West Azerbaijan province, Pezeshkian championed diversity during five presidential debates in an appeal to other ethnic minorities. Qalibaf, a traditional conservative, was first elected speaker of parliament in 2020. Jalili, an ideological hardliner, was the nuclear negotiator under Ahmadinejad. The other three candidates, who performed poorly in public opinion polls, received less attention. The following is a sampling of front pages from the final days of the campaign.
Etemad
June 24: I Have Become the Voice of the Voiceless
"Masoud Pezeshkian made a promise to the people of Iran at a large gathering of his supporters"
Jahan Sanat
Popular Uprising for Iran
"I promise to prevent confrontations with our girls in the streets"
Shargh
All for Iran
"Shiroudi Stadium hosts supporters of Masoud Pezeshkian as well as political, cultural and sports figures"
Hamdali
Election Tsunami in the 90th Minute
"Why fundamentalist extremists feel threatened by Zarif-Pezeshkian electoral pair"
Arman Melli
I Honestly Promise That I Do Not Lie to the People
"Report on various gatherings in support of the reformist candidate"
Asre Rasaneh
Qalibaf: "The Basis of My Government is That I Am in Favor of Negotiation"
Asre Iranian
Jalili: "The Country Is Not Governed by Flattery and Shows"
