Politics Reformer Peseschkian wins presidential election in Iran
The moderate politician Massud Peseshkian has won the presidential election in Iran in the second round. This was announced this morning on state television by the spokesperson for the electoral authority. Peseshkian achieved 53.7 percent of the vote, his ultra-conservative challenger Said Jalili 44.3 percent. According to the electoral authority, voter turnout was 49.8 percent.
06.07.2024, 05:35
SDA
Around 61 million people were called to vote between Peseshkian and Jalili on Friday. The early election was called following the death of incumbent Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in May. The polling stations were open until late in the evening after being extended several times by the Ministry of the Interior.
Reform candidate backed middle-class positions
Peseschkian is 69 years old and comes from the northwest. During the First Gulf War with neighboring Iraq, he studied medicine and also served on the front line. After the war, he continued his work as a doctor and made a career as a heart surgeon in the metropolis of Tabris.
During the election campaign, the previously rather inconspicuous politician campaigned for renewed trust between the government and the people, who are massively disappointed with politics after failed attempts at reform, political repression and an economic crisis. Like many politicians in the reform camp, he called for an improvement in relations with the West, also in order to open up the country and boost the ailing economy.
Under Mohammed Khatami's second presidency (2001-2005), Peseshkian already gained government experience as Minister of Health. Despite his moderate words, he is seen as a man of the system, backing the powerful Revolutionary Guards and praising the attack on Israel with drones and missiles. In the TV debates, he described himself as a conservative politician who believes reforms are necessary.
Non-voters have lost faith in political change
According to official data, voter turnout in the first round last Friday reached a record low of around 40 percent. This reflects the great disappointment of the younger generation in particular, who have lost faith in major domestic political change. The death of the young Kurdish woman Jina Masa Amini in the fall of 2022 sparked nationwide protests against the Islamic system of rule.
Iran's political system has combined republican and theocratic features since the 1979 revolution. However, there are no free elections: the supervisory body of the Guardian Council always checks candidates for their suitability. Fundamental criticism of the system is not tolerated, as the suppression of protests in recent years has shown.
