ArmInfo.A moderate lawmaker will face Iran supreme leader's protege in a run-off presidential election on July 5 after the country's interior ministry said on Saturday that no candidate secured enough votes in the first round of voting, Reuters reports.
Friday's vote to replace Ebrahim Raisi after his death in a
helicopter crash came down to a tight race between a low-profile
lawmaker Massoud Pezeshkian, the sole moderate in a field of four
candidates, and former Revolutionary Guards member Saeed Jalili.
The interior ministry said neither secured the 50% plus one vote of
over 25 million ballots cast required to win outright, with
Pezeshkian leading with over 10 million votes ahead of Jalili with
over 9.4 million votes.
Power in Iran ultimately lies with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei, so the result will not herald any major policy shift on
Iran's nuclear programme or its support for militia groups across the
Middle East.
But the president runs the government day-to-day and can influence
the tone of Iran's policy.
The clerical establishment hoped for a high turnout as it faces a
legitimacy crisis fuelled by public discontent over economic hardship
and curbs on political and social freedom. However, turnout in
Friday's vote hit a historic low of about 40%, based on interior
ministry count released on Saturday.
The election comes at a time of escalating regional tension due to
the war between Israel and Iranian allies Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah
in Lebanon, as well as increased Western pressure on Iran over its
fast- advancing nuclear programme.
With Iran's supreme leader now 85, it is likely that the next
president will be closely involved in the process of choosing a
successor to Khamenei, who seeks a fiercely loyal president who can
ensure a smooth eventual succession to his own position, insiders and
analysts say.
Anti-Western views of Jalili, Iran's former uncompromising nuclear
negotiator, offer a contrast to those of Pezeshkian. Analysts said
Jalili's win would signal the possibility of an even more
antagonistic turn in the Islamic Republic's foreign and domestic
policy.
But a victory for mild-mannered lawmaker Pezeshkian might help ease
tensions with the West, improve chances of economic reform, social
liberalisation and political pluralism.
Pezeshkian, faithful to Iran's theocratic rule, is backed by the
reformist faction that has largely been sidelined in Iran in recent
years.
"We will respect the hijab law, but there should never be any
intrusive or inhumane behaviour toward women," Pezeshkian said after
casting his vote.
He was referring to the death of Masha Amini, a young Kurdish woman,
in 2022 while in morality police custody for allegedly violating the
mandatory Islamic dress code.
The unrest sparked by Amini's death spiralled into the biggest show
of opposition to Iran's clerical rulers in years.
