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Reformist Pezeshkian wins presidential elections in Iran, warns of "difficulties"

2024-07-06 20:20:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Reformist Pezeshkian wins presidential elections in Iran, warns of

Moderate reformist, Masud Pezeshkian. Source, Reuters

Moderate reformist Masoud Pezeshkian, who won Iran's presidential election, has warned that the Islamic republic faces "a tough road ahead" and pleaded with Iranians not to leave him "alone" as he begins his presidency in one country stricken by economic hardship and dominated by an oppressive theocracy.

Pezeshkian, a former heart surgeon, won 53.7 percent of the vote, while Jalili won 44.3 percent in Friday's presidential runoff, Iran's Central Election Commission spokesman Mohsen Eslami announced Saturday.

Turnout for the runoff vote was 49.8 percent, significantly higher than the record low turnout of 40 percent in the first round.

He thanked Iranian voters, referring to the election triumph as "the beginning of our partnership," in a message published on X.

"The difficult road ahead will only be eased by companionship, compassion and trust. I extend my hand to you, and I swear on my honor that, in return, I will not abandon you on this road", Pezeshkian wrote.

Voting on July 5 was set to end at 6pm but was postponed three times – once to 8pm, then to 10pm and then to midnight – as authorities sought to push as many as possible. people to go to vote.

The first round saw a low turnout, despite Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calling for higher turnout to protect Iran's image as a powerful country that enjoys popular support. own.

In the election, which was called because of the death of Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash last month, Iranians had to choose between reformist and veteran lawmaker Masud Pezeshkian and former nuclear negotiator conservative Saeed Jalili.

Pezeshkian has been a member of the Iranian Parliament since 2008 and served as deputy speaker between 2016 and 2020, when reformists and moderates enjoyed a majority in the legislature.

Following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in custody in 2022 for allegedly wearing a headscarf improperly, Pezeshkian questioned Iran's methods of enforcing the hijab, an Islamic headscarf for women.

After Amin's death, which sparked months of unrest across the country, Pezeshkian sought clarification from the authorities about her case.

After voting during the first round last week, Pezeshkian said: "We will respect the hijab law, but there should never be inhumane treatment of women."

Pezeshkian has also spoken in favor of talks with the West.

However, he supports the principles of the Islamic republic and says he will follow Khamenei's policies if elected president.

While Pezeshkian's victory is unlikely to bring major political change, it could have an impact on the successor to Khamenei, the 85-year-old who has been the country's supreme leader since 1989.

In Iran, the supreme leader has the final say on all state affairs, and the president has no power in many important matters.

Khamenei admitted that the turnout in the first round was not "as expected", but insisted that it did not reflect the popularity of the Islamic republic.

He called the runoff "very important" and said that "those who love Islam and the Islamic Republic, as well as the progress of the country, should show this by participating in the elections."

A man who asked to remain anonymous told Radio Free Europe that he did not vote in the first round but voted for Pezeshkian in the runoff.

The Islamic Republic has long insisted that its legitimacy comes from voter participation in elections, but low turnout in elections in recent years and deadly protests against the leadership have challenged the legitimacy of the current government.

Pezeshkian won the first round with 10.5 million votes, while Jalili came second with 9.5 million votes. However, Pezeshkian also benefited from the division of the conservative vote, because the other conservative candidate, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, won him 3.4 million votes.

Pezeshkiani's camp has tried to convince the voters who boycotted the first round to come out and vote in the runoff. His supporters have argued that if Jalili were to come to power, his administration would use repressive policies and further isolate Iran.

Jalil's supporters have portrayed Pezeshkian as a man who is soft on the West and will make Iran's progress dependent on good relations with Western countries.

Meanwhile, the opponents have called on voters to boycott the runoff, insisting that the elections in Iran are neither free nor fair and that the past elections have failed to bring changes, since the main power is Khamenei./ REL