Iranian Youth Hedge Hopes on Rouhani
Iranian youth, who voted in large numbers for Hassan Rouhani for president, are mixed on whether he can deliver on Iran’s economy.
TEHRAN — Iran’s new President-elect Hassan Rouhani isn’t, in fact, a magician. The man who, during the presidential debates, raised a key, saying, "It’s the key for all the closed doors in Iran," gave Iranian youths hope that they are heading toward a better future. At least, this is what some of them think.
More than third of those who voted in this election were between 18 and 30, most of them highly concerned about their future. “I always dream of migrating to the UK or the US, even Dubai is a dream, I want to live a better life,” said Mahtab, a girl I met in Tehran’s rich Farmaniyeh neighborhood. Mahtab is a university student; she loves music, sports and fashion. “I voted for Rouhani, though he is a cleric, because I thought he might change something in this country,” she said.
