Elections in Europe, Iran show authoritarian march may have slowed, not halted

At first glance, elections in France and Britain were a triumph for leftists and reformers over authoritarians and the right. Even Iran — where Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has the final say on all matters of state — elected Masoud Pezeshkian, a heart surgeon and longtime lawmaker long associated with the reformist movement. In France, a leftist coalition beat the far right into third place in legislative elections. The U.K.’s center-left Labour Party swept back to power in a landslide after 14 years of Conservative rule. Iranian voters opted for the more moderate of two candidates. Voters in many countries are still divided and disillusioned against a backdrop of economic gloom. Analysts say the march of the right may only have been slowed, not halted.