Iran’s presidential election heads to run-off

Iranian media have reported that none of the presidential candidates in the country managed to secure an absolute majority in the final election results.

IRNA, the state-affiliated news agency, released a report today, Saturday, June 29th, quoting Mohammad Eslami, the spokesperson for the election headquarters, stating that according to the law, the second round of elections will be held nationwide on Friday, July 5th

The final results of the presidential election in Iran indicate that voter turnout was below 40%.

According to the final count released by the election headquarters on Saturday, Masoud Pezeshkian, a reformist candidate and former Health Minister, emerged as the frontrunner with 10.4 million votes.

Saeed Jalili, a conservative candidate and former lead nuclear negotiator, secured 9.4 million votes in second place. Following them were Parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf with 3.3 million votes and former Interior Minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi with just over 206,000 votes, setting the stage for a runoff in the second round of elections.

Despite efforts to encourage participation, the turnout in Iran’s presidential election was significantly lower than in previous elections, reflecting a growing disillusionment among voters.

Economic challenges continue to weigh heavily on Iran, with inflation rates soaring and unemployment remaining a critical issue affecting the livelihoods of many Iranians.

International observers have noted concerns about the fairness and transparency of the electoral process in Iran, citing restrictions on candidate eligibility and limitations on media coverage as factors influencing voter confidence.

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