Reformist Masoud Pezeshkian Wins Iran Elections Defeating Hard-Liner Saeed Jalili (image@s_m_marandi)
A reformist candidate and heart surgeon, Masoud Pezeshkian, emerged victorious in Iran’s runoff presidential election on Saturday. He won by pledging to engage with the West and relax the enforcement of the country’s compulsory headscarf law, after a period of sanctions and protests that have strained the country.
Pezeshkian won by defeating hard-liner Saeed Jalili. Pezeshkian secured over 17 million votes, while Jalili obtained more than 13 million votes in an election where approximately 30 million votes were cast, as per Iran’s election authority. This year’s election witnessed historic low voter turnout, which is 49.8 percent.
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The initial round of polling on June 28 experienced the poorest participation since the 1979 Islamic Revolution in the history of Iran’s Islamic Republic. The leadership in Iran has consistently stressed that the voter turnout is an indication of backing for the nation’s Shiite theocracy, which has been under scrutiny after years of economic sanctions, widespread protests, and severe repression of all dissent.
Pezeshkian refrained from promising any drastic changes to Iran’s Shiite theocracy throughout his election campaign. He has consistently recognized Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as the ultimate authority in all matters concerning the state.
Notably, Pezeshkian’s modest objectives of ruling are likely to face challenges from an Iranian government that remains largely under the clasp of hard-liners, the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, and West’s concerns about Tehran’s enrichment of uranium to near-weapons-grade levels.
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The election in Iran came after President Ebrahim Raisi, who was widely regarded as a close confidant and mentee of Khamenei, died in a helicopter accident in May. Reportedly, many believed that Raisi was being groomed as a possible successor to the supreme leader position.
