Masoud Pezeshkian Wins Iran’s Presidential Runoff, Promises Reforms
Iran’s President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian acknowledged that navigating the nation through its “bottlenecks, challenges, and crises” would be a significant test. He made these comments at Imam Khomeini’s mausoleum in Tehran shortly after being declared the winner of Iran’s 14th presidential election in a runoff against hard-liner candidate Saeed Jalili.
Addressing his supporters, Pezeshkian expressed his readiness to serve the Iranian people and committed to listening to their concerns. He recognized the difficult situation his administration will face and pledged to work with the Iranian parliament to ease tensions and address challenges.
Pezeshkian affirmed the sincerity of his campaign promises, emphasizing his intent to fulfill them. He also stressed the importance of promoting dialogue, unity, and national consensus to tackle issues across economic, social, cultural, and political spheres.
In the runoff, Pezeshkian received 16,384,403 votes, while Jalili secured 13,538,179 votes. At 69, Pezeshkian is a cardiac surgeon and current lawmaker. He served as the parliament’s first deputy speaker from 2016 to 2020 and was the health minister between 2001 and 2005.
Earlier on Saturday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei met with Pezeshkian and congratulated him on his victory. Khamenei expressed satisfaction with the 49.8% voter turnout in the second round, hoping that Pezeshkian would harness Iran’s capacities and talents to drive progress and development.
