Reformist Masoud Pezeshkian wins Iranian presidential election over ultraconservative Saeed Jalili

winning over 16 million votes and 53.66% of the vote in the second round, Masoud Pezeshkian, a 69-year-old doctor whose father is Azeri and mother Kurdish. became yesterday New President of the Islamic Republic of Iran. With the defeat of conservative candidate Said Jalili, reformism has returned to the second magistrate of the state born of the 1979 revolution after two decades following a double round of preliminary elections. Ultraconservative Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash last May.

The victory of Pezeshkian, a candidate critical of the imposition of the Islamic veil and in favour of a closer position with the West, does not hide the institutional crisis of the regime.l Iranians’ dissatisfaction with the economic situation -The sanctions have affected the middle and lower classes- and there is concern about the country’s future A context of high regional tensions has been reflected in low electoral participation: Barely 40% in the first round and less than 50% in the second, despite Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s urging to go to the polls.

Pezekian, who made the Guardian Council cutoff as the only reformist candidate, During the electoral campaign he has shown himself to be in favour of freedom on the internet and the relaxation of strict measures on the imposition of veil on women. This is a particularly sensitive issue since a death in police custody in September 2022 Mahsa Aminiallegedly for wearing the hijab incorrectly. The death of the young Kurdish woman triggered a wave of demonstrations in the last months of 2022, which were only allowed to be suppressed by the regime’s repressive machinery – with hundreds of deaths.

Pezeshkian has been in politics for more than two decades, which he entered after participating in the war with Iraq (1980–1988) and directing the Tabriz University of Medical Sciences in the nineties. In 2000 he became the Deputy Minister of Health during the presidency of Precisely from the reformist Jatami, who appointed him head of the portfolio a year later. Subsequently, he joined the Parliament in 2008, of which he became Deputy Speaker between 2016 and 2020.

After hearing the news of his victory, Pezeshkian sent a consoling message in front of Iranian television cameras yesterday: “We are all part of this country, so we have to turn to everyone for the progress of this country,” ensuring that his new government would “extend the hand of friendship to everyone.”

“With a candidate like Pezeshkian, the Supreme Leader and the Islamic Republic gain time. “He is the best candidate to handle the current moment in Iranian politics, because an extremist would have caused more discontent and protests in the streets,” an analyst specializing in Iran tells LA Razon. Daniel Bashandeh. The analyst summarized, “With Pezeshkian, the regime seeks to downplay any internal threat to the political order and to reaffirm its authority before the international community.”

Regarding the possibility that the change in the presidency marks a new direction for Tehran on major issues, Bashandeh is cautious. “Although Pezeshkian has been critical of some actions and laws in the country, He has made it clear that Ayatollah Khamenei has the final say on decisions. Furthermore, the economy is in the hands of the Revolutionary Guard.

However, in the opinion of a Spanish-Iranian analyst, “with regard to its foreign policy, “It will attempt to pave the way for reconciliation with the West.” “Pezeshkian’s major challenge is to work to integrate a population that has made clear its dissatisfaction with the current institutional architecture in these elections. Without structural reforms, particularly in matters of rights, equality and opportunities, the Islamic Republic will continue to represent only a rapidly growing minority sector of Iranian society.”