The victory of reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian in the second round of Iran’s presidential elections marks a change of direction from the government of Ebrahim Raisi, a conservative Shiite Muslim cleric and the previous president. killed in helicopter crash in May.
Mr. Pezeshkian, a 69-year-old heart surgeon who served as a lawmaker in previous reformist governments and as health minister, beat hard-line conservative candidate Saeed Jalili will be elected in Friday’s second round, the government announced Saturday.
Here are the main takeaways from the election.
Difficult choice leads to increased voter turnout
The second round represented a political choice radical enough to galvanize Iranians who had boycotted the first round of elections. Turnout in the first round was about 40 percent, continuing the downward trend seen in recent parliamentary elections. Faced with candidates who represented radically different visions of Iran’s future, many voters who had abstained from voting in the first round decided to vote in the second round.
By the time polls closed on Friday, turnout had increased by nearly 10 percentage points to 49.8 percent. according to state mediaMr. Pezeshkian’s campaign slogan, “Save Iran,” appears to have resonated with those who wanted change, even if it was incremental change in a restricted political and social environment.
The Iranian government has also conducted a public campaign to urge voters to vote.
With Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei maintaining ultimate control of Iran, the elections give a semblance of legitimacy to the country’s authoritarian theocracy.
A return to the reformist agenda
Mr Pezeshkian’s victory marks the return of a relatively moderate reformist agenda in Iran after years of isolation.
He opposed the law on compulsory hijab for women, promised to dismantle the morality police and lift restrictions on the internet. He said he wanted peaceful relations with the West.
But as he sought to persuade Iranians to vote for him, Mr Pezeshkian, who served 16 years in parliament and four years as health minister, faced disillusionment among voters who had seen little change under two previous presidents who had promised it.
Mohammad Khatami, a reformist, and Hassan Rouhani, a moderate centrist, won landslide victories in their elections, but in government they have been limited by Mr Khamenei’s ultimate power.
Will anything change in Iran?
Mr Pezeshkian said he wanted to bridge the gap between conservative and moderate voters and would be able to set the domestic policy agenda as well as influence the shape of foreign policy.
But the country remains a theocracy led by an appointed cleric, Mr Khamenei, who makes final decisions on the most important matters of state.
The president can, however, change the tone in the country, analysts say. Mr. Pezeshkian is expected to steer Iran away from radical policies such as the mandatory wearing of the hijab, which have sparked widespread discontent. an uprising And severe repression by the authorities under Mr Raisi’s administration.
He is also expected to negotiate with the United States to resolve the impasse over the nuclear program and try to lift associated sanctions.
Mr. Pezeshkian’s candidacy was backed by a team of seasoned technocrats, and his cabinet is expected to reflect that. He has pledged to work with his rivals to address some of Iran’s most difficult problems, including a weakened economy by many years of severe international sanctions.
In 2018, former President Donald J. Trump unilateral exit from nuclear deal between Iran and the West, even though international inspectors have said Iran is complying with the conditions.
One of his main tasks will be to combat inflation, which has sent prices of fresh fruit, vegetables and meat soaring.
But to revive the economy, Mr. Pezeshkian will have to work to reach an agreement with the United States to lift sanctions on its oil revenues and banking transactions. Despite American efforts, Iran is not isolated on the international stage and has forged close ties with Russia, China and India. But sanctions are holding back its economic growth and trade.
Could Iran Improve Relations With the West?
Viewing foreign policy as an economic issue, Pezeshkian said he was ready to negotiate with Western powers, including the United States, to lift sanctions against Iran. He also expressed his willingness to resume nuclear negotiations, which are linked to the sanctions, and to de-escalate tensions in general.
“Whoever ends his relations with the world will be held back. Why should we fight with the whole world?” Pezeshkian told Iranian media during the election campaign.
That’s in stark contrast to his rival, Mr. Jalili, a former nuclear negotiator who opposed the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and international powers because it made too many concessions. During his presidential campaign, he also rejected compromise with the West and instead sought closer ties with Russia and China.
Under Mr. Raisi, Iran has continued to develop its missile arsenal and its nuclear program has continued to advance, reaching threshold nuclear weapons state status, with a one-week deadline to build a simple nuclear bomb, experts say. The country has also become an increasingly powerful but unpredictable player in the Middle East crisis.
Iran funds, arms, and trains a network of military groups in the Middle East, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthis in Yemen, as well as militant groups in Iraq and Syria. This network, known in the region as the “axis of resistance,” has helped advance Iran’s strategic interests, both by increasing its influence and by serving as a forward defense.
As for Iran’s animosity toward Israel, this is a matter of state policy defined at the highest level, from which the new president is unlikely to deviate.
