Who will win Iran's election?

Tehran, Iran, May 18 — As Iran's tenth presidential election approaches, things are heating up.

This election in Iran is different from previous elections. The election that will be held next month is polarized, and current President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has a powerful rival in Mir Hossein Mousavi, who is from the reformists’ camp.

Mousavi was Iran’s prime minister during bad times, like the Iran-Iraq War, just two years after the Islamic revolution, when the economy was bad, the treasury was bankrupt, and the country had no assets. Yet, he managed the country for eight years, in what is considered Iran’s golden years.

Now, this strong reformist, who was and who remains very close to the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, is a serious rival for Ahmadinejad.

But the important point is that Iran’s youth and elite are partial to Mousavi and prefer him to the present president. Also, most of Iran’s citizens over age 35 can remember him as being a very fine prime minister. And since during his eight-year term inflation was less than 12 percent at a time of war, people who are facing 27 percent inflation think of him as an angel.

According to analysts, Mousavi’s candidacy in the election will bring out five to six million votes that otherwise would have been silent, belonging to students, elites and society’s top groups, saying that this point decreases his chances for winning the election.

Mousavi's contender, the present president, has all the tools for campaigning, even while going to a different province each week and saying, “It's not necessary to advertise.” But the other candidates don't have the same access to advertising, like newspaper or television media, as they visit different cities and universities.

And now, at this time, the main question remains, who will win: Mousavi or Ahmadinejad?