Reformist candidate Masoud Pezhsakian and alleged conservative Saeed Jalili have qualified for the second round of the presidential elections to be held in Iran on Thursday, July 5.
According to the representative of the department responsible for the elections of the Ministry of Interior, Mohsen IslamicBezisekian received 10,415,991 votes out of 24,535,185 votes, while Jalili received 9,473,298 votes.
The turnout in the elections “touched” only 40%, which is considered the lowest level since 1979.
Surgeon Masoud Pezesekian, 69, was health minister from 2001 to 2005 in the so-called “reformist” government of Mohammad Khatami. During the 2022 anti-government protests, he criticized Rouhani’s authorities, among other things, over the circumstances of Mahsha Amini’s death. He is said to support renegotiating Tehran’s relations with Washington, primarily lifting Western sanctions that are “suffering” the Iranian economy.
Saeed Jalili, 58, was the government’s negotiator in the nuclear negotiations between 2007 and 2013 and enjoys the confidence of Supreme Leader Khamenei, whom he also represents in the Supreme National Defense Council.
(With information from: APE-MPE, AFP)
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