Reformist Masoud Pezeshkian wins Iran’s presidential election

Reformist Masoud Pezeshkian, who advocates improving ties with the West, won the second round of Iran’s presidential election on Saturday against ultra-conservative Saeed Jalili, the Interior Ministry reported.

According to election authority spokesman Mohsen Eslami, Pezeshkian received over 16 million votes out of over 30 million ballots counted and his opponent Jalili received over 13 million in total.

According to the spokesperson, the electoral participation was 49.8%.

“The road ahead is difficult. It will only be easier with your support, sympathy and trust. I extend my hand to them,” the reformist Pezeshkian said on the social network X after his victory.

Around 61 million voters were called to vote in the second round between Pezeshkian and Jalili, after historically low participation in the first round last week.

Voting, which was scheduled to end at 8:00 pm (4:30 pm GMT), was extended several times and polling stations eventually closed at midnight (8:30 pm GMT).

The elections, anticipated after the death of ultra-conservative President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash on May 19, took place in a context of discontent among the population due to the economic crisis caused by pressure from Western sanctions.

The international community watched the elections closely because of tensions in the Middle East caused by the war in Gaza and Iran’s conflict with Western countries over Tehran’s nuclear programme.

In the first round, Pezeshkian, the only reformist authorized to contest the election, received 42.4% of the vote, ahead of Jalili’s 38.6%.

The Islamic Republic’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who exercises supreme authority, underlined the importance of the elections and called for greater participation in the second round.

Pezeshkian is a 69-year-old doctor of Azeri origin who affirms his loyalty to the Islamic Republic but defends the rapprochement between Iran and Western countries, led by the United States, to lift sanctions that have damaged the economy.

He has the support of several former presidents, including reformist Mohammad Khatami and liberal Hassan Rouhani.

For his part, Jalili, 58, is known to favour an inflexible policy towards Western powers, a position he demonstrated when he was a negotiator for the Iranian nuclear programme.

He received the support of, among others, the conservative Speaker of Parliament Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, who had come third in the first round with 13.8% of the vote.

– Call to vote –

Voter turnout in the first round a week ago was 39.92%, its lowest in the Islamic republic’s 45 years.

Khamenei acknowledged that the voting in the first round was “not expected”, but said this behaviour did not constitute an act “against the system”.

Presidential elections were initially scheduled for 2025 but were pushed back due to Raisi’s death.

Candidates competing in the second round held two debates in which they presented their views on economic problems, international relations, low electoral participation and Internet restrictions.

In a debate, contenders expressed disappointment at the low voter turnout in the first round.

Pezeshkian said that the population is “fed up with their living conditions (…) and dissatisfied with the government’s management.”

Ali, a 24-year-old university student who asked to be identified only by his first name, said he supports Pezeshkian, believing he would work to “open up the country to the rest of the world.”

Instead, for Mariam Narui, a 40-year-old woman who spoke during a campaign rally this week, Jalili is “the best choice for the security of the country.”

AP/FEB/ILA/AN/ES/SAG/HGS/VAL/ATM/MEB/AN