Reformist Masoud Pezeshkian has achieved a stunning victory in the Iranian presidential elections, highlighting widespread dissatisfaction with the country’s recent direction, The Guardian reports on July 6th. This win opens up potential new avenues for cooperation with the West.
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Masoud Pezeshkian secured a victory in the Iranian presidential runoff with 16,384,403 votes, defeating ultra-conservative Saeed Jalili, who garnered 13,538,179 votes. The final turnout was 49.8%, a significant increase from the record low 39% in the first round. In the initial round, Pezeshkian emerged as the frontrunner, surpassing three conservative rivals. The turnout also included over 1 million invalid votes.
Pezeshkian, a proponent of allowing women to choose whether to wear the hijab and ending internet restrictions that necessitate VPN usage to bypass government censorship, addressed his supporters after the win:
The difficult path ahead will not be smooth except with your companionship, empathy, and trust.
Running under the slogan “For Iran,” Masoud Pezeshkian promised to be a voice for the voiceless, asserting that protests should not be met with police violence. While some critics consider him naive in high-level politics, much of his campaign focused on his personal integrity and his decade-long absence from ministerial office. His supporters have immediately called for the release of political prisoners, highlighting the significant demands he may struggle to meet.
Pezeshkian faces a challenging path in implementing change. Despite his declared loyalty to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, he has stated he will resign if obstructed and will urge the public to withdraw from the political process.
The Guardian and agencies