A Nation Eager to Be Heard: Iran by Newsha Tavakolian

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Iranian elections
Leaflets and campaign paraphernalia litter the floor of Heidarnia Stadium in Tehran after a rally just days before the presidential vote on June 14.Newsha Tavakolian—Polaris for TIME
By Aryn Baker

Presidential elections are always a time for hope. Nowhere is that more clear than in Iran, where a fervent desire for change is tempered by fears that the people’s voice might not be heard, or, worse yet, altered through fraud and manipulation. Still, Iranians thronged the election rallies, vibrant and noisy affairs that took place in gymnasiums and sports stadiums across the country. As Election Day loomed, candidates, get-out-the-vote volunteers and Iran’s own Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei exhorted citizens to vote, and they did, in record numbers. Polling station hours were extended late into the evening of June 14th, and, unlike the elections of 2009, when the results were announced almost immediately, the count took an agonizing 24 hours.

But on Saturday evening, hope blossomed into joy. Hassan Rouhani, the sole moderate on the ballot, exceeded all expectations to sweep a field made up of five other candidates, winning 51% of the vote and narrowly avoiding a runoff. Iranians celebrated in the streets with dancing and music, an infectious jubilation that led even the White House to grudgingly admit that despite expectations for fraud, the Iranian people finally had their say.

Newsha Tavakolian is based in Tehran. LightBox previously featured Tavakolian’s portrait series, Look.

Aryn Baker is the Middle East bureau chief for TIME. Follow her on Twitter @arynebaker.

Iranian elections
Leaflets and campaign paraphernalia litter the floor of Heidarnia Stadium in Tehran after a rally just days before the presidential vote on June 14. Newsha Tavakolian—Polaris for TIME
Iranian elections
Yasaman Karimi, 23, at a rally in Tehran for Mohammed Reza Aref.Newsha Tavakolian—Polaris for TIME
Iranian elections
Iranian women at the 17th century shrine of Fatemeh Masoumeh in the holy Shiite city of Qum.Newsha Tavakolian—Polaris for TIME
Iranian elections
A young woman in a car in the western part of Tehran, where mostly middle class families live.Newsha Tavakolian—Polaris for TIME
Iranian elections
A poster of Ayatullah Ali Khamenei looms over Tehran's Enghelab Square.Newsha Tavakolian—Polaris for TIME
Iranian elections
Young Iranians hang out in the western part of Tehran, where mostly middle class families live.Newsha Tavakolian—Polaris for TIME
Iranian elections
An Iranian teenager waiting to vote for the first time in his life.Newsha Tavakolian—Polaris for TIME
Iranian elections
Supporters of former vice president Mohammad Reza Aref, a day before he pulled out of the race to form a coalition with cleric Hassan Rouhani.Newsha Tavakolian—Polaris for TIME
Iranian elections
A campaign rally for Saeed Jalili, Iran's nuclear negotiator, at a stadium in Tehran.Newsha Tavakolian—Polaris for TIME
Iranian elections
Supporters of Saeed Jalili chanted, "No compromise, no submission, only Jalili" and held up flags of the Lebanese Hezbollah organization at a campaign rally for him in Tehran before the election.Newsha Tavakolian—Polaris for TIME
Iranian elections
Supporters of Saeed Jalili at a campaign rally in Tehran.Newsha Tavakolian—Polaris for TIME
Iranian elections
Young Iranians in Western Tehran. The youth vote helped put Rouhani over the top.Newsha Tavakolian—Polaris for TIME
Iranian elections
Supporters of Mohammad Reza Aref on the day before the election.Newsha Tavakolian—Polaris for TIME
Iranian elections
Kian Rezaaei, 21, a supporter of Hassan Rouhani, helps get out the vote days before the presidential election.Newsha Tavakolian—Polaris for TIME

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