Reformist Masud Pezeshkian wins Iran presidential election

Tehran. Reformist Masud Pezeshkian, who advocates bettering relations with the West, received the second spherical of the presidential elections in Iran on Saturday in opposition to ultra-conservative Mentioned Jalili.

Pezeshkian received greater than 16 million votes, or about 54 % of the vote, whereas his rival Jalili received greater than 13 million, or about 44 % of the greater than 30 million ballots counted, electoral authority spokesman Mohsen Eslami stated.

Voter turnout stood at 49.8 %, the spokesman added. Within the first spherical on June 28, it had been 39.92 %, the bottom stage within the 45-year historical past of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

“The highway forward is tough. It can solely be simple together with your cooperation, empathy and belief. I lengthen my hand to you,” Pezeshkian, 69, stated on social media platform X after his victory.

Some 61 million voters have been referred to as to the polls for the second spherical.

The election, which was held early after the demise of ultra-conservative President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash on Could 19, passed off amid a public outcry over the financial system, which has been hit exhausting by Western sanctions.

The worldwide neighborhood adopted the elections intently, within the wake of tensions within the Center East brought on by the warfare in Gaza and the dispute with Western powers over Iran’s nuclear programme.

Negotiations on the programme have been at a standstill since 2018, when the USA withdrew from the worldwide pact signed in 2015.

“Your votes have given hope to a society mired in a local weather of dissatisfaction,” the president-elect stated in a speech thanking his supporters on Saturday on the mausoleum of Imam Khomeini, founding father of the Islamic Republic, close to Tehran.

“I did not make any false guarantees on this election, I did not say something I can not maintain,” he stated.

Jalili asks to respect the outcome

Pictures broadcast by native media confirmed supporters of the reformist expressing their pleasure within the streets of the capital Tehran and Tabriz within the northwest, even earlier than the official announcement of the outcomes.

“We’re very completely satisfied that Pezeshkian received. We want an informed president to resolve our financial issues,” stated Abolfazl, a 40-year-old architect.

Roya, a 50-year-old housewife, expressed her indifference to the result. “These [candidatos] “They simply shout slogans. Once they come to energy, they do nothing for the individuals,” he stated.

Pezeshkian, a physician of Azerbaijani origin, was the one reformist allowed to run and was supported by a number of former presidents, together with the reformist Mohammad Khatami and the average Hassan Rouhani.

In Iran, the president has restricted powers and is accountable for implementing the principle insurance policies outlined by Supreme Chief Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The Ayatollah congratulated Pezeshkian and urged him to “proceed the trail of martyr Raisi and make the most of the nation’s many capabilities, particularly the revolutionary and trustworthy youth, for the welfare of the individuals and the progress of the nation.”

Pezeshkian affirms his loyalty to the Islamic Republic, however on the identical time advocates a rapprochement between Iran and Western international locations, with the USA – Tehran’s arch-enemy – on the forefront, with a purpose to elevate the sanctions which are hampering the financial system.

She additionally questioned the usage of drive by police to implement legal guidelines on the obligatory carrying of the veil for ladies, which have been in drive for the reason that Islamic Revolution in 1979.

His 58-year-old rival, Jalili, has as a substitute advocated a hardline method to Western powers, a stance he demonstrated when he was a negotiator on Iran’s nuclear programme.

Nonetheless, after his defeat he referred to as on his followers to assist Pezeshkian. “An individual who’s elected by the individuals is revered (…) and now we should do the whole lot we are able to to assist him transfer ahead with energy,” he wrote on X.

Reactions from Saudi Arabia, China, India and Russia

Russia, which like Tehran is topic to harsh Western sanctions, congratulated Pezeshkian and invited him to “additional strengthen bilateral cooperation.”

“I hope that your function as president will contribute to additional strengthening constructive bilateral cooperation for the advantage of our pleasant peoples,” he stated, based on the Kremlin.

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman additionally congratulated the reformer and stated he hopes to “additional develop relations” between the 2 international locations, based on the official SPA information company.

The Sunni kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Shiite-majority Iran resumed diplomatic relations in March 2023 after a seven-year rupture.

Chinese language President Xi Jinping despatched a message to Pezeshkian, saying he hopes to “deepen the China-Iran complete strategic partnership.”

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Pezeshkian and stated he hoped to “additional strengthen the nice and cozy and long-standing bilateral relationship” between the 2 international locations, which have a detailed bond regardless of Tehran’s worldwide isolation.