GUWAHATI: Reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian, known for his moderate domestic policies and cautious approach towards engagement with the West, has won Iran's presidential election. He defeated the prominent ultraconservative Saeed Jalili in a closely watched runoff on Friday, July 5, characterised by low voter turnout.
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Iranian state media announced the results early Saturday, revealing a turnout rate of 50 percent, slightly higher than last week's historic low of 40 percent. Pezeshkian, relatively unknown outside Iran before the campaign, was the only reformist approved to run. He secured 16.3 million votes, nearly 3 million more than Jalili, who received about 13.5 million.
The snap election was necessitated by the death of Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in May. The victory for Pezeshkian delivers a significant defeat to Iran’s ultraconservative party at a critical time for the country as it faces heightened regional tensions and a standoff with the West over its nuclear program.
Shortly after Iran's announcement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Pezeshkian through X, saying, “Looking forward to working closely with you to further strengthen our warm and long-standing bilateral relationship for the benefit of our peoples and the region.”
Iran-India ties will continue to be robust, said Iranian Ambassador to India, Iraj Elahi. As per reports he had said earlier that, “There will be no change in the foreign policy between Iran and India, irrespective of who comes to power. Infrastructure development is one of the bases of cooperation between our two nations.”Congratulations @drpezeshkian on your election as the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Looking forward to working closely with you to further strengthen our warm and long-standing bilateral relationship for the benefit of our peoples and the region.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 6, 2024
