Tyranny of numbers

Later this week, on Friday, July 5, a diverse electorate faces a consequential choice for the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Voters differ in age, income and ethnicity, but more than any characteristic, age dominates the debate on social media. Masoud Pezeshkian, the candidate promising reform, who has attracted support from a wide array of reformists, is urged to woo the youth vote, the generation Z (ages 18-29). Conventional wisdom is that Pezeshkian’s sharp criticisms of the establishment and promises of greater social freedoms and no filtering of the internet have made the youth a decisive voting bloc that can push the challenger over the top.