Masoud Pezeshkian, a candidate advocating for reform, has emerged victorious in Iran’s recent presidential election, defeating staunch conservative Saeed Jalili. Pezeshkian leveraged his campaign on fostering a relationship with Western nations and relaxing the stringent regulations regarding the obligatory wearing of a headscarf, following years of economic sanctions and public protests that have pressurised the Islamic Republic. However, Pezeshkian, throughout his campaign, reassured Iranians that he would not initiate any drastic changes to the country’s Shiite theocracy and would continue to regard Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as the ultimate authority on all state matters.
However, Pezeshkian’s aspirations will face significant obstacles from a government that is predominantly still controlled by conservative forces. He will also need to negotiate a war taking place in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas, and western concern over Tehran potentially producing near-weapon-grade uranium.
Official vote counts revealed that Pezeshkian secured a win by accumulating 16.3 million votes, besting Jalili’s 13.5 million votes in the Friday election. Post-election, Pezeshkian took to an unnamed social media platform, which continues to be prohibited in Iran, to express his gratitude.
“Beloved Iranians, the elections have now ended, and this signifies the start of our collaborative endeavour,” he posted, extending a heartfelt promise to stand by his countrymen and urging reciprocation.
Countless supporters of Pezeshkian, a renowned heart surgeon, and veteran politician, flooded the streets in the early hours in Tehran and other cities, rejoicing as his lead over Jalili increased.
Pezeshkian’s victory comes amid a fragile period of escalating tensions over the continuing war in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas, an advancing nuclear agenda in Iran, and an impending US election that could possibly jeopardise any hopes of reconciliation between Tehran and Washington.
The initial round of polling on June 28th resulted in the most underwhelming turnout in the Islamic Republic’s history since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. It’s worth noting that Iranian officials have traditionally associated voter turnout as a form of endorsement for the Shiite theocracy. This has been under immense strain for years, due to the suffocating effect of international sanctions on the economy, an outpouring of mass protests, and oppressive actions against dissension.
As voting commenced, high ranking government officials, including the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, anticipated a surge in voter turnout, a point emphasised by state TV broadcasts showing queues at certain polling places throughout the country. Online footage, however, seemed to reveal vacant polling stations. A heightened security presence accompanied the relatively low footfall at a number of sites across Tehran, the capital city.
The election was set against the backdrop of escalating regional conflicts. Iran inaugurated its first direct assault on Israel in the wake of the Gaza war in April. Further, regional militant groups sponsored by Tehran – including the Hizbullah from Lebanon and the Houthi rebels in Yemen – are actively participating and escalating their attacks.
Iran has also been developing uranium nearing weapon-grade standards and has amassed enough reserves to create multiple nuclear weapons if it decides to. The ultimate decision lies with Khamenei, although the president can sway Iran’s foreign policy, pivoting it towards either conflict or cooperation with Western nations.
The late president, Ebrahim Raisi, had been viewed as Ayatollah Khamenei’s favoured protégé and a potential successor to the position of supreme leader. His untimely death in a helicopter crash in May has left a void.
The fate of the Iran nuclear deal, which was abandoned by Donald Trump in 2018, was a recurring theme during the campaign. Speculation was rife about what might eventuate if the former US president, who withdrew America from the deal, won the November election.
Despite holding indirect discussions with President Joe Biden’s administration, there’s still no definite progress towards restricting Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.
Over 61 million Iranians aged 18 and above were eligible to vote, among them approximately 18 million are between 18-30 years old. Voting was scheduled to conclude at 6pm, but was extended till midnight in order to stimulate voter participation.