Iranian residents have returned to the polls for a presidential run-off between centrist Masoud Pezeshkian and hardliner Saeed Jalili.
The election follows the loss of life of former president Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in Might and comes after neither candidate secured an outright majority on June 28, with Pezeshkian acquiring 42.5 per cent of the votes and Jalili 38.7 per cent.
The election is going down amidst escalating regional tensions as a consequence of Israel’s battle on Gaza, ongoing disputes with the West over Iran’s nuclear program, financial hardships as a consequence of crippling sanctions, and public disillusionment following lethal protests in 2022-2023.
Supreme Chief Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who holds final authority in Iran, forged his poll early Friday morning and urged residents to take part. “It’s an excellent day to take part within the electoral course of,” Khamenei stated, encouraging voters to decide on the appropriate candidate and make an additional effort to elect a president.
Solely 40 per cent of Iran’s 61 million eligible voters participated within the first spherical, marking the bottom turnout for the reason that 1979 Islamic Revolution. Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar famous that whereas some polls instructed Pezeshkian would possibly win, either side are predicting victory, and turnout stays a big concern.
Khamenei acknowledged that participation was “not as anticipated” within the first spherical however careworn that it was not an act “towards the system.” The conservative parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf got here in third place with 13.8 p.c, whereas Muslim chief Mostafa Pourmohammadi acquired lower than one per cent.
Initially scheduled for 2025, the election was introduced ahead following Raisi’s loss of life. Throughout two debates, the candidates mentioned Iran’s financial points, worldwide relations, low voter turnout, and web restrictions.
Pezeshkian, 69, criticized the present authorities’s administration and referred to as for “constructive relations” with america and European nations to finish Iran’s isolation. Alternatively, Jalili, 58, with a considerable hardline help base, argued that Iran doesn’t want the deserted nuclear deal to progress. He described the 2015 settlement, which had imposed limits on Iran’s nuclear actions in trade for sanctions reduction, as a violation of Iran’s “purple strains.”
Jalili, a senior determine in Khamenei’s workplace and a consultant within the Supreme Nationwide Safety Council, has emphasised that whatever the election final result, Iran’s subsequent president will comply with state insurance policies outlined by the supreme chief.
