Mohsen Sazegara, an outspoken Critic of the Islamic Republic and now a visiting fellow at The Washington Institute, does not think so.

In this article, he argues that presidency role in Iran is not a powerful position in the Iranian system.

The true power is in the hands of supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who gets elected by the Assembly of Experts.

But according to the constitution the assembly that elects him can not dismiss him! According to Sazegara, Iran’s constitution provides no checks or balances on the leader’s unlimited powers.

Will any candidate for presidency raise this issue and open it up for debate?