Iran's reformist parties and figures are coalescing behind their sole approved candidate, Masoud Pezeshkian, in the upcoming presidential election scheduled for June 28, viewing his candidacy as an opportunity to halt the country's hardline shift, Hamihan newspaper reported on June 11.

Pezeshkian, a former health minister and deputy speaker of Parliament known for his integrity and moderation, is the only reformist candidate to have been approved by the Guardian Council to run in the election, which was brought forward by a year following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in May.

Buoyed by the tagline "for Iran" in reference to the protests and song by Shervin Hajipour following the death of dozens of young people after Mahsa Amini, several leading figures online are adopting the message.

Key reformist parties including the Union of Islamic Iran People Party, Moderation and Development Party, as well as influential figures like former president Mohammad Khatami and former foreign minister Javad Zarif, have thrown their weight behind Pezeshkian. They are urging Iranians to turn out and vote for change after record-low participation in recent elections.

"Pezeshkian's presence is a precious opportunity for the people and the system," said Abdolvahed Mousavi Lari, a former interior minister and member of the reformist Association of Combatant Clerics. "He may be the surprise of this election and attract the silent majority."

Analysts say Pezeshkian has a realistic chance in a likely three-way race against conservative candidates Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the parliament speaker, and Saeed Jalili, a hardline cleric. His lack of negative baggage, reputation for honesty, and opposition to cultural and social restrictions could make him a unifying choice.

However, even if Pezeshkian prevails, major challenges would await in trying to change Iran's trajectory and address popular grievances after the election. But reformists argue the alternative of boycotting the vote would only entrench Iran's hardliners further.

"When society is thirsty for hope, even one different approved candidate creates such a wave," tweeted Ali Rabiei, a former government spokesman. "We stand with him."

Mohammad Ghouchani, journalist and head of the political committee of the Executives of Construction Party, in yesterday's issue of Sazandegi newspaper analysed the election situation and Pezeshkian's status within it, saying: "Masoud Pezeshkian is a clean-handed, hardworking and outspoken politician who was both a minister in the reformist government, a representative of the people of Tabriz, and raised by a Kurdish mother and the most prominent representative of the moderate minority in the current parliament.”

Azar Mansouri, Secretary General of the National Unity Party and head of the Reform Front, announced her support for Pezeshkian by publishing a post on X (Twitter) network. Mansouri wrote: "The strategy of conditional participation was an important step by Iran's Reform Front to give meaning to the elections. We consider the qualification of Dr Pezeshkian as a good omen for Iran. In this unequal scene we strive for his victory and still pursue the rights of the Iranian people, including the right to free, fair and competitive elections."

The expert said that Pezeshkian was quick to react to the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022, where he defended women and lamented the actions of the state.

Although this same speech led to Pezeshkian's disqualification in the parliamentary elections, he is now at the head of an 80-member faction that played a key role in Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf's presidency of the parliament against the Stability Front.

Hadi Khamenei, the estranged brother of the supreme leader Ali Khamenei, also announced his support for Pezeshkian by publishing a statement, which reads: “The Assembly of Imam's Line Forces, while emphasising its previous positions in criticising wrong political, economic and cultural trends and opposing improper treatments that pushed the people towards non-participation in the elections, acknowledges that the effort to form a wise and development-oriented government that can use all the country's scientific and executive capacities without political and factional narrow-mindedness is closer to correction than non-participation in the elections.”

The election comes at a critical juncture for Iran, which is grappling with economic crisis, social unrest and international isolation. Reformists are hoping Pezeshkian can pull off an upset and open space for more moderate policies, even as ultimate power remains with the Supreme Leader.