Iran | The reform-minded Pezeshkian won the Iranian presidential election

Iran’s the second round of the presidential election has been won by a reformist Masoud Pezeshkiansays the country’s Ministry of the Interior.

Already based on preliminary results, Pezeshkian was led by an ultraconservative in the second round of the presidential election Saeed Jalilia.

According to the election authority, approximately 30 million votes were cast in the second round, of which Pezeshkian received over 16 million and Jalili over 13 million. According to the election authority, the turnout was around 50 percent.

The turnout in the first round held a week ago was around 40 percent, which is the lowest figure since 1979. There are 61 million eligible voters in the country.

The first time, Pezeshkian got a good 42 percent of the votes and Jalili 38.6 percent.

Pezeshkian has, among other things, promised more constructive relations towards Western countries in order to end Iran’s isolation. She has also spoken in favor of loosening internet restrictions and opposed police patrols monitoring women’s use of headscarves.

The headscarf caused major protests in Iran in 2022, when a man was arrested for wearing a “wrongly worn” headscarf Mahsa Amini died in police custody.

The more conservative Jalili is known for his anti-Western thinking. He has also objected to Iran starting to negotiate a new nuclear deal with Western countries.

Elections are held because the country’s previous president Ebrahim Raisi died earlier this year in a helicopter crash.