According to Interior Ministry spokesman Jamal Orfi, while counting about 90% of 28.6 million ballots, Raisi scored 17.8 million, which gives him an undeniable advantage.
The turnout in the June 18 elections, in which four candidates participated, was at a record low – about 48%.
Appointed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to a high-level position as head of the judiciary in 2019, Raisi came under US sanctions a few months later for human rights violations.
These include the role that human rights activists say Raisi played in the executions of thousands of political prisoners in 1988 and in the violent suppression of riots in 2009. Iran has never recognized mass executions, and Raisi himself has never spoken publicly about the allegations.
Analysts consider Raisi the most formidable representative of the security forces. Thanks to Khamenei’s support, Raisi was able to win.
Amnesty International Secretary General Agnes Callamard said Raisi’s election victory was “a grim reminder of the impunity prevailing in Iran.”
Outgoing pragmatic president Hassan Rouhani visited Raisi in his office to congratulate him, and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said he would lead Iran well.
“We will support and fully cooperate with the president-elect for the next 45 days, when the new government takes charge,” Rouhani was quoted as saying by state media.
Nuclear negotiations
Raisi’s election comes at a critical moment. Iran and six major powers are in talks to reopen the 2015 nuclear deal. US President Donald Trump backed out of the deal in 2018 and reintroduced tough sanctions that lowered Iran’s oil revenues.
With Iran’s ruling clerics realizing that their political fate depends on deepening economic difficulties, Raisi’s victory will not prevent Iran from resurrecting the pact and freeing itself from tough US oil and financial sanctions.
Khamenei, not the president, has the final say on all government issues such as Iran’s foreign and nuclear policy.
“In the new government, we will make every effort to solve the problem of people’s livelihoods,” Raisi said, state media reported.
Seeking to win over economic voters, Raisi has pledged to create millions of jobs and fight inflation without offering a detailed political or economic agenda.
– .
