The presidential elections in Iran, recently held in Tehran, have concluded without any candidate winning an outright majority. According to the Iranian Minister of Interior, a runoff will be held after none of the candidates can achieve 50% of the votes. The second round is slated for Friday, July 5, as stated by reports from Iranian media. Masoud PezeshkirunoffSaeed Jalili is contesting the runoff.
Ahmad Vahidi, Iranian Minister of Interior, reported that they had counted approximately 24.5 million votes. Masoud Pezeshkian got about 14 million votes, while Saeed Jalili received 9.4 million. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf secured 3.4 million votes, while Mostafa Mirsalim managed around 200,000, said polling staff.
The polls opened at eight on Tuesday morning and closed at midnight on Wednesday, with counting underway now that voting has ended.
Ahmad Vahidi, Iranian Minister of Interior, said they established sixty thousand polling stations across Iran and set up ninety thousand voting points throughout the country. An additional three hundred voting stations were outside Iran to accommodate expatriate voters.
A day before election day, two candidates withdrew their candidacies. Leaving only four people running for president out of the six runners initially registered.
Initially, Iran had scheduled these elections for next year, but they had to bring them forward following last month’s tragic helicopter crash. Which killed President Ebrahim Raisi, forcing an early vote to fill. His death left behind the vacant presidency position along with the Foreign Affairs minister and Ayatollah Khamenei’s spokesperson. Who also died during this accident that has shaken up politics here, putting a dark cloud over. The political future and prompting an early vote for a new leader.
Under the Iranian electoral system, a candidate must get over fifty percent of all cast. Ballots to win outright in the first round since no one has reached this mark. There will be a runoff between the top two contenders, Masoud Pezeshkian and Saeed Jalili.
Political analysts within Iran who closely monitor the situation said that the country’s governance direction is in dire need. How these elections go may significantly affect international relations with other countries. Throughout the campaign, they debated domestic policies such as economic reforms, social programs, and candidates’ foreign policy.
People are also closely watching the turnout because it can reflect their trust in the government or electoral process. According to international observers and citizens, Iranian authorities should count votes transparently this year.
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