On the eve of Iran's presidential election, a group of poor Iranian Kurds who risk their lives every day to make ends meet on the border with Iraq spoke to Al-Monitor about what matters to them in deciding which candidate they will vote for — or why they plan to boycott the vote. Many hope for closer ties with the West so sanctions will be lifted and the economy will be revived. But while the economy is the main concern, almost all of the men who spoke to Al-Monitor praised the Iranian authorities for maintaining security within the country’s borders at a time when bombings and war bring chaos to neighboring countries.

These men are known as "kolbar" — they smuggle goods on their backs for a fee to make a living in the remote mountains between Iran and Iraqi Kurdistan. “I have no job. That is why I am doing this. Otherwise, this load is for a mule and not a human,” said Ali, a man in his mid-40s, while preparing his load of cigarettes to take back into Iran. Ali receives around $30 to carry the 24-kilogram load through the mountains for over six hours. Asked if he will vote on Friday, he pointed to his load and said, “Not really. This is my situation. Rouhani did not do anything for us for the last four years.”

President Hassan Rouhani, who is hoping to secure another term in the May 19 vote, faces hard-liner Ebrahim Raisi, who is considered close to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and is supported by the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iran’s high unemployment rate and weak economy mean that he has come under attack from Raisi and other candidates during the presidential debates broadcast live on Iranian state TV. Government figures say over 3.2 million Iranians are unemployed out of a working population of around 26 million. But others dispute the data and say the real number is more than 7 million.

“People have no money. That is why they come here and smuggle goods,” said 15-year-old Hallo, who along with his friend are each carrying 25 kilograms worth of cigarettes on their backs. “There are many people with university degrees that are doing this job because they can’t find anything else to do.”