Iran Presidential Election runoff won by reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian. The second and final round of polling closed and the vote counting began a few hours ago . The voting for the second round started on Friday morning.
The winner will replace late President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash on May 19th. The snap poll became necessary due to the demise of then President Ebrahim Raisi, who was elected in 2021. The elections were originally scheduled in 2025.
Presidential Candidates: Masoud Pezeshkian and Saeed Jalili
As per the Iranian constitution, the President is the second highest office in Iran, with the Supreme Leader the highest office. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is the final arbiter of all matters of state in the country.
Moderate Masoud Pezeshkian, elected today as the President of Iran is a heart surgeon and longtime lawmaker. He served as the Deputy Speaker from 2016 to 2020. He was the Minister of Health and Medical Education from 2001 to 2005 in the tenure of President Mohammad Khatami, another reformist.
He has taken a more pragmatic approach to the foreign policy and campaigned to make efforts to reach out to the West. He promised to place less restrictions on political and social freedoms and to relax the enforcement of the country’s compulsory headscarf law.
But he has refrained from promising any radical changes since the Iranian government is still largely held by hard-liners. He still lacks the power to change the Iranian stance on issues like the ongoing Israel-Hamas war and enriching uranium to near-weapons grade level.
Saeed Jalili, hard-liner defeated in the electoral contest by around 3 million votes. He had been a top nuclear negotiator of Iran from 2007-2013 . In Presidential elections held in 2021, he ran for candidacy but withdrew in support of Ebrahim Raisi before the election. He has advocated closer ties with Russia and China.
Iran need to navigate complex geopolitical situation in the Middle-east
The election came amid heightened regional tensions. Pezeshkian has come to power when the Middle-east geopolitical situation is in chaos with ongoing Israel-Hamas war with fears of wider regional conflict due to escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah. Both the militant groups are backed by Iran.
Also the upcoming US elections could put détente between them at risk. During the tenure of former US President Donald Trump, he withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018 and put fresh economic sanctions on Iran.
Low turnout in the Presidential elections
The Iranian officials have long claimed that high Voter turnout points to the civilian support for the Shiite theocracy. The polls were held on June28 which saw historically low voter turnout with 60 percent of voters abstaining. The run-off polls followed since none of the candidates secured a majority.
The last few years have put strain on Iran’s economy due to economic sanctions and intense nation-wide protests over the death of Mahsa Amini, who died during police detention over allegedly improperly wearing the hijab. Followed by bloody security force crackdown on the public.
This time the voter participation was around 50 percent, still historically low for an Iranian presidential election. The citizens of Iran are undoubtedly aware that this election is unlikely to make any drastic changes to Iran’s policies. Nonetheless, the president will have a significant position in selecting the successor of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, who has held the position since 1989.
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