Reformist Masoud Pezeshkian has defeated his hardline conservative rival, Saeed Jalili to emerge as the newly elected president of Iran.
Dr Pezeshkian was declared winner after he secured 53.3% of the more than 30 million votes counted. Mr Jalili polled at 44.3%.
A run-off election was conducted as none of the candidates secured a majority in the first round of the election on 28 June, which saw a historically low voter turnout of 40%.
Election for a new president became imperative after the country’s previous president Ebrahim Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash in May, in which seven others also died.
Supporters of Dr. Pezeshkian reportedly trooped out to the streets of Tehran in jubilation over his victory, even before the final results were announced by the interior ministry.
Dr Pezeshkian is a 71-year-old heart surgeon and member of the Iranian parliament, who has been critical of Iran’s notorious morality police. He caused a stir after promising “unity and cohesion”, as well as an end to Iran’s “isolation” from the world.
Dr. Pezeshkian also advocated for “constructive negotiations” with Western powers over a renewal of the faltering 2015 nuclear deal in which Iran agreed to curb its nuclear programme in return for an easing of Western sanctions.
He has also called for “constructive negotiations” with Western powers over a renewal of the faltering 2015 nuclear deal in which Iran agreed to curb its nuclear programme in return for an easing of Western sanctions.
His hardline rival, Saeed Jalili is in favour of the status quo. The former nuclear negotiator enjoys strong support amongst Iran’s most religious groups.
Mr Jalili is popularly known for his hardline anti-Western stance and opposition to restoring the nuclear deal, which he says crossed Iran’s “red lines”.
Turnout in the latest round of voting was 50% – higher than the first round last week, when the turnout was the lowest since the Islamic revolution in 1979 amid widespread discontent, but still considerably low.
Source: BBC News
