Indifferent voters is Rohani's main rival

Supporters of President Hasan Rohani wave his posters during his election campaign in Tehran.

Iran's presidential election may turn on turnout.
Historically, the more Iranians who cast ballots, the greater the chance a reformist or a moderate like incumbent President Hasan Rohani will be elected.
However, Rohani's bid for another four-year term comes amid apathy and grumbling from an electorate that largely hasn't seen the benefits of his signature nuclear deal with world powers. As his opponents promise populist cash handouts to the poor, Rohani needs all the voters he can to cast ballots on May 19. But even some of his supporters say they may stay home.
"I will not vote," said Hossein Ghasemi, a 35-year-old taxi driver who voted for Rohani in 2013. "None of them care about our demands and difficulties linked to daily increasing prices."
Rohani faces five opponents in the election, but some may well drop out in the coming days to boost the chances of the most-prominent candidates. Eshaq Jahangiri, one of Rohani's vice-presidents, is expected to leave the race to help his boss.
A reformist dropping out ahead of the 2013 election helped Rohani edge out a nearly 51 percent majority to win. That election saw turnout of 73 per cent, a high figure Rohani will need to duplicate among Iran's 56.4 million eligible voters this time around. If no candidate wins an outright majority, the top two candidates will compete in a second round of voting on May 26.
There are already warning signs on the horizon for Rohani. A report on Monday by the state-run Irna news agency said a survey of over 6,000 eligible voters found over a third saying they would not be voting, while another 46 per cent said they would pick their candidate later. It offered no margin of error on the nationwide random survey.
"The main rival of Rohani is 'lack of participation' by people," said Saeed Leilaz, a Tehran-based political analyst.
That lack of enthusiasm stems from the average Iranian's major concern: The economy. While the nuclear deal allowed Iran to resume crucial oil exports to Europe and sign billion-dollar airplane deals, chronic unemployment and inflation remain major concerns. Iran's universities continue to graduate its youth without jobs available.
The economic crisis can be seen in pictures of homeless people sleeping in graves outside of Tehran, images that shocked the nation and Rohani himself. The poor, both young and old, can be seen in Iranian cities searching trash for food or cleaning car windows for loose change.
"I like Rohani, but I do not want to vote at all," said Aidin Yahyavi, 32. "Years after graduating, I am still unemployed and my parents support me."
That's exactly the kind of voter Rohani needs to inspire. About a third of eligible voters live in big cities where Rohani remains popular and where average turnout is around 40 per cent. Another third live in smaller, regional cities. In rural areas, where clerics and Revolutionary Guard hold greater sway, turnout reaches 90 per cent.
Rohani faces his most-serious challenge from hard-liner Ebrahim Raisi, a favourite of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Raisi already has the support of two major clerical bodies that declined to endorse anyone in the last presidential election.
Raisi has pledged to support the poor with a monthly cash payment equivalent to $65 - about a sixth of what a menial labourer makes in a month. Tehran mayor Bagher Qalibaf, a conservative vying for the presidency, has promised to pay the poor the equivalent of up to $40 monthly.
Iran's government already pays nearly $12 billion in relief to the poor.

• MENA