Following a widespread boycott in the first round of presidential elections in Iran by Rojhilat (Iranian or Eastern Kurdistan) and a majority of other segments of Iranian society, candidates in the second round recognised the central role of the Kurdish population and the influence of the slogan ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadî’ (Women, Life, Freedom). In a popular bid, the candidates aimed to secure the presidency by appealing to undecided Kurdish voters.
Candidate Saeed Jalili appealed to the Kurds by wearing Kurdish attire, publicising his Kurdish heritage, and emphasising that his ancestors were from Sardasht in Rojhilat. During his electoral campaign trip to Sanandaj (Sine) in Rojhilat, the conservative used populist tactics to garner Kurds to vote.
Rival Masoud Pezeshkian was born in Mahabad and his father served as a military officer in the Iranian army, stationed in the city. Fluent in Kurdish, Pezeshkian leveraged his linguistic skills and reformist stance to attract votes from the grey strata of Kurds, amid the widespread election boycott.
In Kermanshah (Kermashan), after delivering a speech in Persian, he addressed the crowd in Kurdish: “I want to say a few words to you in Kurdish: I hope you understand my words. I was born in Sablakh (Mahabad). I grew up there and all my memories are in Kurdistan. God willing, I will be at your service. Long live Iran, long live Kurdistan, long live all the provinces of Iran.”
Pezeshkian’s statements have been circulating on social media, accompanied by claims that in the early years after the 1979 revolution, he was a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) alongside Mehdi Bakri, a senior commander. Additionally, videos shared on social networks accuse him of harbouring pan-Turkish sentiments.
