Tomorrow, the country will vote to elect Raisi’s successor, who died in the helicopter crash. The first round was won by reformist MP and ultra-conservative Saeed Jalili. With the support of Khatami and Rouhani, the anti-establishment candidate promises freedom of choice regarding the hijab and better relations with the West.
Tehran () – The ultra-conservative candidate’s electoral campaign ended yesterday evening in a prayer hall in the capital, Tehran, with a strong call to vote before a jubilant crowd of supporters, in view of the second round scheduled for tomorrow. Those present chanted and chanted, declaring that “All of Iran is with him.” [Saeed] Khalili,” who responded by promising “strength and progress.” At the same time, in a packed stadium nearby, his reformist rival closed the campaign by emphasizing the themes of “unity and cohesion,” while the crowd chanted the name of another reformist former president, Mohammad Khatami, who confirmed his support for Masoud Pezeshkian. “Long live Khatami, long live Pezeshkian,” shouted those present, waving green flags with the slogan “For Iran” of the candidate who has been able to break the monopoly of the ultraconservatives and radicals.
The presidential candidates, the second most powerful and prestigious candidate in the Islamic Republic of Iran behind Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, are the reformist Masoud Pezeshkian and the ultra-conservative Saeed Jalili, who is supported by the current government. They will face each other in tomorrow’s run-off election, a challenge that was already marked by a record turnout in the first round, as far as the party was concerned, with abstention and boycott of the polls, as many activists and dissidents have called it. The official results of June 28 gave the reformist candidate 10,415,991 votes (equivalent to 42.5%), while the ultra-conservative obtained 9,473,298 votes (equivalent to 38.6%). In third place, and far behind, was the conservative Speaker of Parliament, Mohammad-Baqer Ghalibaf, who garnered 3,383,340 votes.
The total of 24,535,185 valid votes indicates a turnout of 40.2%, marking a new record low compared to the 48.8% in the 2021 presidential challenge that was won by Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash last May. Reaching the second round is already a “success” for Pezeshkian, because his rival can count on the support of the entire power apparatus of the country and it is there that the interests of the religious and conservative leadership are concentrated. In addition, of the 14 presidential elections held in Iran since 1979, only one, that of 2005, was decided in the second round.
In the run-up to the elections, the government has intensified its repression of the media and information in recent days, reinforcing censorship to “guide” the narrative regarding the vote. For his part, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei admitted the poor turnout figures in the first round and spoke of a “lower than expected” turnout without referring to the actual figure, 8 percentage points less than in the last election, which was already disappointing for the Tehran government. “We hope that popular support for the second round will continue,” he said. [de este viernes] – the country’s highest authority continued – is important and a source of pride for the Islamic Republic,” with the clear intention of putting pressure on voters to go to the polls.
The surprise of the first round was the success of the reformist candidate, against whom the radical and ultraconservative wing is closing ranks, who could lose the presidency even if power remains concentrated in the hands of Khamenei. However, a possible victory for Pezeshkian could change things, especially in foreign policy, and open new perspectives, since during the electoral campaign he himself has promoted “constructive relations” with Western governments to end the “isolation” of Iran. This position has earned him the support of two former presidents, the moderate Hassan Rouhani and, as already mentioned, the reformist Khatami. “We can govern our country with unity and cohesion,” Pezeshkian told his enthusiastic supporters.
“I will do everything in my power,” he added, “to resolve internal conflicts.” Pezeshkian, who has vowed to “completely” oppose police patrols enforcing veil restrictions (the reason for the arrests and crackdown following Mahsa Amini’s death) and has called for an easing of long-standing internet restrictions, spoke to a mixed crowd (whereas his rival’s rally was clearly separated between men and women), with women in colourful hijabs mixed with others in black chadors. Sadegh Azari, 45, an insurance worker, said: “I think if Pezeshkian wins … people will have hope for the future.”
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