As the final voting count was announced in the Islamic Republic of Iran by the election headquarters on Saturday, Masoud Pezeshkian was declared the ninth president of the country.
Masoud Pezeshkian beat his rival, Saeed Jalili, local media reported.
Masoud Pezeshkian got 16,384,402 of the total 30,573,931 votes in the runoff, reports Iran International News.
The voter turnout, however, stood at 49.8 percent, relatively lower than the first phase of the elections, as over 50 percent of the eligible voters boycotted the elections.
Iran went to the polls on June 28, and the next day, spokesman of Iran’s Election Headquarters, Mohsen Eslami, announced the results for the first phase, in which Pezeshkian garnered 42.6 percent of the total votes while Jalili got 38.8 percent.
Who is Masoud Pezeshkian?
Masoud Pezeshakian, a 70-year-old physician by profession with a background in politics, is well-positioned to lead Iran during a critical juncture marked by both challenges and opportunities.
Early life and medical career
Pezeshkian was born in 1954 in Tabriz city in Iran. He pursued his passion for medicine and completed his medical degree from Tabriz University of Medical Sciences.
He is currently a member of the academic staff at this prestigious university in northern Iran.
A cardiac surgeon by training, he went on to specialize in internal medicine and gastroenterology and emerged as a respected physician and medical professional.
Political ascent
Pezeshkian’s transition into politics began in the 1980s, following the Iranian Revolution which replaced the secular monarchy of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi with the theocratic Islamic Republic led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
Pezeshkian also served as a member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, Iran’s parliament, representing Tabriz, Osku, and Azarshahr constituencies from 1984 to 2020. He also held the position of first deputy speaker.
His political journey has been remarkable, rising through the ranks to hold the important cabinet portfolio of Health Minister under President Mohammad Khatami ( 2001-2005 ).
Previously, he ran for the presidency in 2013 and 2021 but failed to make significant progress both times.
After receiving approval from the country’s top election supervisory body to run in the June 28 election last month, he took to X (formerly Twitter), using “For-Iran” as his campaign slogan, while vowing to implement the directives of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.
Pezeshkian’s key priorities
Pezeshkian will replace Ebrahim Raeisi, a widely popular president who passed away in a helicopter crash on May 19 in the northwestern part of Iran, along with seven other top official Iranian leaders.
As Pezeshkian now takes charge of the country’s presidency, he faces a complex set of challenges including a struggling economy.
One of Pezeshkian’s key priorities is likely to be reviving Iran’s economy, which has been battered by years of foreign international sanctions and bad relations with several countries, including regional tensions.
During his election campaign rallies, he has pledged to focus on job creation and reducing inflation. He underscored expanding global connections with neighbouring nations to foster the country’s growth while emphasizing the necessity of diversifying foreign policy options to enhance trade and engagement.
However, he reiterated the guiding principle of the country’s foreign policy as “Neither East nor West,” outlining his government’s commitment to advancing national interests in the foreign policy sphere, Iranian news agency Press TV reported.
The Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman and King Salman, while congratulating Pezeshkian, expressed their hope that this development would lead to strengthening relations between the two countries in a way that served their interests.
“We look forward to deepening the relations between our countries and peoples, and to cooperating to enhance regional and international security and peace,” SPA quoted King Salman as saying.
“I affirm my keenness on developing and deepening relations between our countries and people and serving our mutual interests,” SPA quoted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as saying.
Masoud Pezeshkian’s election as the president of Iran marks a new chapter in the country’s history.
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