Iran’s Presidential Election: Masoud Pezeshkian and Saeed Jalili Head to Runoff

Tehran, Iran – Iran’s snap presidential election is set for a runoff next week after reformist-backed Masoud Pezeshkian and hardliner Saeed Jalili emerged as the top candidates but failed to secure a majority. The election saw a record-low turnout of just 40% of the more than 61 million eligible voters.

According to the Ministry of Interior, Pezeshkian received over 10.41 million votes, trailing Jalili by 9.47 million votes. This election marks only the second time since the 1979 revolution that a presidential election has gone to a runoff.

Other candidates included Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who secured 3.38 million votes, and Mostafa Pourmohammadi, who received 206,397 votes. Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani and government official Amir-Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi dropped out of the race.

The election follows the death of Ebrahim Raisi and seven others, including Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, in a helicopter accident on May 19. The low turnout continues a trend seen in key elections over the past four years.

Jalili, a senior member of the Supreme National Security Council, has pledged to reduce inflation to single digits, improve economic growth to 8%, and combat corruption. He advocates for a stronger stance against the West. Pezeshkian, the only moderate candidate approved by the Guardian Council, is seen as a potential president who could make incremental improvements.

Jalili’s name is associated with years-long nuclear discussions in the late 2000s and early 2010s, which led to Iran’s isolation on the global stage.