Iran heads to presidential run-off 

ArmInfo.A moderate lawmaker will face Iran supreme leader's protege in a run-off presidential election on July 5 after the country's interior ministry said on Saturday that no candidate secured enough votes in the first round of voting, Reuters reports. 

Friday's vote to replace Ebrahim Raisi after his death in a 

helicopter crash came down to a tight race between a low-profile 

lawmaker Massoud Pezeshkian, the sole moderate in a field of four 

candidates, and former Revolutionary Guards member Saeed Jalili.

The interior ministry said neither secured the 50% plus one vote of 

over 25 million ballots cast required to win outright, with 

Pezeshkian leading with over 10 million votes ahead of Jalili with 

over 9.4 million votes.

Power in Iran ultimately lies with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali 

Khamenei, so the result will not herald any major policy shift on 

Iran's nuclear programme or its support for militia groups across the 

Middle East.

But the president runs the government day-to-day and can influence 

the tone of Iran's policy.

The clerical establishment hoped for a high turnout as it faces a 

legitimacy crisis fuelled by public discontent over economic hardship 

and curbs on political and social freedom. However, turnout in 

Friday's vote hit a historic low of about 40%, based on interior 

ministry count released on Saturday.

The election comes at a time of escalating regional tension due to 

the war between Israel and Iranian allies Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah 

in Lebanon, as well as increased Western pressure on Iran over its 

fast- advancing nuclear programme.

With Iran's supreme leader now 85, it is likely that the next 

president will be closely involved in the process of choosing a 

successor to Khamenei, who seeks a fiercely loyal president who can 

ensure a smooth eventual succession to his own position, insiders and 

analysts say.

Anti-Western views of Jalili, Iran's former uncompromising nuclear 

negotiator, offer a contrast to those of Pezeshkian. Analysts said 

Jalili's win would signal the possibility of an even more 

antagonistic turn in the Islamic Republic's foreign and domestic 

policy.

But a victory for mild-mannered lawmaker Pezeshkian might help ease 

tensions with the West, improve chances of economic reform, social 

liberalisation and political pluralism.

Pezeshkian, faithful to Iran's theocratic rule, is backed by the 

reformist faction that has largely been sidelined in Iran in recent 

years.

"We will respect the hijab law, but there should never be any 

intrusive or inhumane behaviour toward women," Pezeshkian said after 

casting his vote.

He was referring to the death of Masha Amini, a young Kurdish woman, 

in 2022 while in morality police custody for allegedly violating the 

mandatory Islamic dress code.

The unrest sparked by Amini's death spiralled into the biggest show 

of opposition to Iran's clerical rulers in years.