Reformist candidate and heart surgeon Masoud Pezeshkian won Iran’s presidential election after defeating his ultraconservative rival. Saeed Jalili in a second round.
Iran’s electoral authority said on Saturday that Pezeshkian, a former health minister, received 53.7% of the votes cast, compared to 44.3% obtained by Jalili, a former government nuclear negotiator.
State television showed footage of fans celebrating 69-year-old Pezeshkian’s victory by honking their horns in the early hours of the morning.
“We will extend the hand of friendship to everyone”, said Pezeshkian in his first remarks, stressing that he would work with his political opponents “for the advancement of the country”.
Jalili did not immediately comment on the election results.
Pezeshkian has run a low-key campaign calling for renewed trust between the government and Iranians, many of whom have become disillusioned with politics after failed attempts at reform, political repression and an economic crisis.
But given the complex political situation and powerful interest groups in Iran, it is unclear to what extent Pezeshkian can affect significant change.
But his victory – and low voter turnout – seemed to show the discontent many Iranians feel toward their leaders.
Around 61 million people could vote for a successor to President Ebrahim Raisiwho died in a helicopter crash in May.
Friday’s runoff pitted Pezeshkian and Jalili against each other, after neither candidate won an absolute majority in the first round on June 28.
Polling stations were to close at 6pm on Friday. As expected, authorities allowed them to stay open later in many locations, but voter turnout still only stood at around 49.8%, according to the electoral authority. In the first round, last week, participation was an all-time low of 40%.
Conservative reformer
Pezeshkian, a trained heart surgeon from northwestern Iran who served in the army during the Gulf War, practiced for years in the city of Tabriz.
In the early 1990s, he lost his wife and one of his children in a road accident. He frequently appeared at campaign rallies with his daughter and grandson.
He served as health minister during former president Mohammad Khatami’s second term from 2001 to 2005.
In television debates, Pezeshkian described himself as a conservative politician who believes reforms are necessary.
Despite his moderate rhetoric, he still expressed his loyalty to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Like many politicians from the reformist camp, Pezeshkian called for improved relations with the West.
He also criticized Iran’s strict headscarf requirements for women and campaigned for votes in middle-class positions. He said he opposes internet censorship.
Critics say he will have difficulty implementing these reforms due to the majority of radicals in parliament.
Growing public frustration
Out of a total of 80 candidates, the Guardian Council, a powerful Islamic oversight body that vets candidates, authorized only six candidates for the elections.
Subsequently, two of the six withdrew, leaving three conservatives and one more moderate candidate, Pezeshkian. Jalili is a loyal supporter of the leaders at the top of the Islamic Republic’s power system.
The president is only number two in Iran’s power structure, as Supreme Leader Khamenei serves as head of state and has the final say on all strategic issues. He is also commander-in-chief of Iran’s armed forces.
The elections took place in the midst of a serious economic crisis, as well as tensions with the West and regional powers in the Middle East. Public frustration with the application of state authority, especially among the younger population, is high.
Many Iranians, especially young people, have, however, lost faith in the possibility of seeing major political changes at the national level.
