Tehran
\nIran will hold a run-off presidential election on July 5 after neither of the top candidates secured more than 50 per cent of votes in Friday\u2019s polls, the interior ministry said on Saturday.
\nThe vote to replace Ebrahim Raisi after his [death][13] in a helicopter crash came down to a tight race between the sole moderate in a field of four candidates and the supreme leader\u2019s hardline protege.
\nWith more than 24 million votes counted moderate lawmaker Massoud Pezeshkian led with over 10 million votes ahead of hardline diplomat Saeed Jalili with over 9.4 million votes, according to provisional results released by the ministry.
\n\u201cNone of the candidates could garner the absolute majority of the votes, therefore, the first and second contenders who got the most votes will be referred to the Guardian Council\u201d for the second round, said Mohsen Eslami, an interior ministry spokesman.
\nPower in Iran ultimately lies with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, so the result will not herald any major policy shift on Iran\u2019s nuclear programme or its support for militia groups across the Middle East.
\nBut the president runs the government day-to-day and can influence the tone of Iran\u2019s policy.
\nThe election coincides with escalating regional tension due to the fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, as well as increased Western pressure on Iran over its fast-advancing nuclear programme.
\nWhile the election is unlikely to bring a major shift in the Islamic Republic\u2019s policies, its outcome could influence the succession to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran\u2019s 85-year-old supreme leader, in power since 1989.
\nThe clerical establishment sought a high turnout to offset a legitimacy crisis fuelled by public discontent over economic hardship and curbs on political and social freedom. However, turnout in Friday\u2019s vote hit a historic low of about 40pc, based on the interior ministry count released on Saturday.
\nThe next president is not expected to usher in any major policy shift on Iran\u2019s nuclear programme or support for militia groups across the Middle East, since Khamenei calls all the shots on top state matters.
\nHowever, the president runs the government day-to-day and can influence the tone of Iran\u2019s foreign and domestic policy.
\nPezeshkian\u2019s views offer a contrast to those of Jalili, advocating detente with the West, economic reform, social liberalisation and political pluralism.
\nA staunch anti-Westerner, Jalili\u2019s win would signal the possibility of an even more antagonistic turn in the Islamic Republic\u2019s foreign and domestic policy, analysts said.
\nLimited choices
\nThe election was a contest among a tightly controlled group of three hardline candidates and one low-profile moderate loyal to the supreme leader. A hardline watchdog body approved only six from an initial pool of 80 and two hardline candidates subsequently dropped out.
\nCritics of the clerical establishment say that low turnouts in recent years show the system\u2019s legitimacy has eroded.
\nTurnout was 48pc in the 2021 presidential election and a record low of 41pc of people voted in a parliamentary election in March.
\nAll candidates have vowed to revive the flagging economy, beset by mismanagement, state corruption and sanctions re-imposed since 2018, after the US ditched Tehran\u2019s nuclear pact.
\n\u201cI think Jalili is the only candidate who raised the issue of justice, fighting corruption and giving value to the poor. [\u2026] Most importantly, he does not link Iran\u2019s foreign policy to the nuclear deal,\u201d said Farzan, a 45-year-old artist in the city of Karaj.
\nDivided voters
\nPezeshkian, faithful to Iran\u2019s theocratic rule, is backed by the reformist faction that has largely been sidelined in Iran in recent years.
\n\u201cWe will respect the hijab law, but there should never be any intrusive or inhumane behaviour toward women,\u201d Pezeshkian said after casting his vote. He was referring to the death of Mahsa Amini, a young Kurdish woman, in 2022 while in morality police custody for allegedly violating the mandatory Islamic dress code.
\nThe unrest sparked by Amini\u2019s death spiralled into the biggest show of opposition to Iran\u2019s clerical rulers in years.
\nPezeshkian attempted to revive the enthusiasm of reform-minded voters who have largely stayed away from the polls for the last four years as a mostly youthful population chafes at political and social curbs. He could also benefit from his rivals\u2019 failure to consolidate the hardline vote.
\nIn the past few weeks, Iranians have made wide use of the hashtag #ElectionCircus on X, with some activists at home and abroad calling for a boycott, saying a high turnout would only serve to legitimise the Islamic Republic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Tehran Iran will hold a run-off presidential election on July 5 after neither of the top candidates secured more than 50 per cent of votes in Friday\u2019s polls, the interior ministry said on Saturday. The vote to replace Ebrahim Raisi after his [death][13] in a helicopter crash came down to a tight race between the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":415475,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-415465","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n