Iran’s Interior Ministry announced that Presidential candidate Masoud Pezeshkian has won the election runoff held on July 5, defeating Saeed Jalili. The Electoral authority spokesman Mohsen Eslami stated that, with about 30 million votes cast, Pezeshkian who is labeled a ‘'reformist,” received more than 16 million votes and Jalili, the so-called hard liner, some 13 million.The voter turnout stood at 49.8%, and the number of spoiled ballots was reported to be over 600,000.
Pezeshkian announced on state television yesterday: “We will extend the hand of friendship to everyone; we are all people of this country; we should use everyone for the progress of the country,” reported Türkiye’s Hürriyet Daily News.
The election took place in the aftermath of the death of Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi in a May 19 helicopter crash, returning from a visit to Azerbaijan..
Iran’s Press TV identified Pezeshkian as one of the six candidates, a former lawmaker and former Health Minister in Mohammed Khatami’s administration. Iran’s Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei congratulated Pezeshkian and “expressed hope that the president-elect will take steps toward Iran’s progress and development by taking advantage of the nation’s abilities,” wrote Press TV.
