Reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian emerged victorious in Iran's runoff presidential elections, according to announcements by state media on Saturday. Officials have tallied over 12.7 million votes for Pezeshkian, compared to approximately 10.5 million for Saeed Jalili. Iran conducted its first round of snap presidential elections last week, which saw a record low turnout. Only 40 percent of Iran's 61 million eligible voters participated in the first round, marking the lowest turnout since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. In the initial round, Pezeshkian, the only reformist candidate, topped the polls, competing against three conservative contenders, with Jalili placing second and parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf coming in third. As no candidate achieved more than 50 percent of the votes, a runoff between Pezeshkian and Jalili was held on Friday. Pezeshkian, a 69-year-old heart surgeon, garnered support from Iran's major reformist coalition, including former presidents Mohammad Khatami and Hassan Rouhani. The snap elections, originally scheduled for 2025, were expedited following the sudden death of ultraconservative president Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in May. The elections took place amid escalated regional tensions due to the Gaza war, disagreements with the West over Iran's nuclear program, and internal dissatisfaction with Iran's sanctions-affected economy.
![Reformist Masoud Pezeshkian Wins Iran's Runoff Presidential Election Reformist Masoud Pezeshkian Wins Iran's Runoff Presidential Election](https://world-arabia.com/storage/images/news/crops/news-promo/Kz9cqSh2c5sqw1k86PG22jJFLIMgYiXYAvedxyWI.webp)
Text: Lara Palmer
06.07.2024
Low voter turnout marks Iran's snap presidential elections amid regional and economic challenges