The Impact of Ethnic Identity Representation in the 2024 Iranian Presidential Election: A Case Study of Ardabil, East Azerbaijan, West Azerbaijan, and Kurdistan

Document Type : Original Research

Authors
Elaheh Sadeghi 1
Kosar Taleshi 2
1 Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
2 Ph.D. Candidate in Political Science, Faculty of Law and Political Science, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran.
10.48311/psp.2025.114330.0
Abstract
The aim of the present study is to analyze and evaluate the candidates’ vote shares in the second round of the 2024 presidential election on the basis of their ethnic positions in the provinces of Ardabil, East Azerbaijan, West Azerbaijan, and Kurdistan. The research seeks to answer the following question: What impact did the representation of ethnic identity in the positions of Masoud Pezeshkian and Saeed Jalili have on their vote shares in these provinces? To address this question, a quantitative content analysis was conducted. The units of analysis consisted of the candidates’ speeches, statements, and ethnic positions as reported in Etemad and Resalat newspapers, as well as in local provincial media. The findings indicate a significant relationship between the candidates’ vote shares and their ethnic affiliation. However, regarding the link between ethnic slogans and electoral outcomes, the evidence shows that slogans alone do not meaningfully influence vote share. Rather, it is the combination of ethnic slogans with authentic ethnic affiliation and rootedness that exerts a substantial impact. In the second round of the 2024 presidential election, the two leading candidates—Pezeshkian and Jalili—competed closely, yet Pezeshkian ultimately secured a decisive victory in the northern and northwestern Turkic- and Kurdish-speaking provinces due to his ethnic affiliation in addition to his use of ethnic references.

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