Reformist Masoud Pezeshkian has been voted the ninth president of Iran. Photo / Office of the Iranian President via Getty Images
A former heart surgeon who pledged to open Iran to the world and deliver the freedoms its people have yearned for has won the country’s presidential election.
Masoud Pezeshkian, the only moderate candidate allowed to enter the race after the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in May, won a tightly contested runoff by securing 16.3 million votes, Iran’s interior ministry said on Saturday.
Pezeshkian, 69, defeated Saeed Jalili, a former nuclear negotiator and a figurehead of the Front of Islamic Revolution Stability – a group of hard-line politicians often referred to as “radical Hezbollah” – who won 13.5 million votes.
Regardless of the election winner, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has the final say on all major policy issues.
“The nation of Iran has chosen its new president. I extend my congratulations to the nation, the president-elect, and all the dedicated activists involved in this pivotal moment, especially the enthusiastic youth from the candidates’ election teams,” Khamenei said after the election.
He recommended Pezeshkian follow in the footsteps of “martyr Raisi”.
The interior ministry reported that 30,530,157 people participated in the presidential runoff on Friday. The total voter turnout was announced at 49.8%.
“We will extend the hand of friendship to everyone. We are all people of this country. We should use everyone for the progress of the country,” Pezeshkian said after winning the election.
“These people participated with love, they came to help, and I thank all these dear people,” he added.
“The difficult path ahead will not be smooth without your companionship, empathy, and trust,” he said.
“I extend my hand to you, and I swear on my honour that I will not leave you alone on this journey. Don’t leave me alone [either.]”
Jubilant Iranians poured into the streets across the country to celebrate their new president-elect early on Saturday.
People gathered in public squares, waving Iranian flags and chanting slogans of “hope and change”.
“It’s a day for Iran, a day for peace,” Shahram Mohseni, a 25-year-old resident of Tehran, told The Telegraph in a phone interview during which the sound of cheers could be heard in the background.
“I did not vote three years ago and they became three of the worst days of my life and the whole nation’s, I came out this time and I believe Pezeshkian will change,” he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin was among several world leaders who congratulated Pezeshkian.
Russia and Iran, the target of stiff Western sanctions, can “co-ordinate efforts to resolve international issues in a constructive manner,” he said.
Pezeshkian surprised many by passing the stringent vetting process to get on to the ballot in the first place.
His campaign focused on key issues that resonated with a population desperate for change.
Pezeshkian promised to relax Iran’s strict Islamic dress code for women, oppose restrictions on internet use, and curb the power of the morality police.
He has also vowed to work towards restoring the nuclear deal to lift Western sanctions that have crippled Iran’s economy.
However, many voters are sceptical about Pezeshkian’s ability to fulfil his campaign promises as the former health minister has publicly stated that he has no intention of confronting Iran’s powerful clerics and security establishment.
Pezeshkian has also inherited an extremely challenging legacy. Iran’s economy has been left in tatters by years of US sanctions and domestic mismanagement, with annual inflation nearing 50% and much of the population living in poverty.
“I did not vote last week but today I voted for Pezeshkian. I know Pezeshkian will be a lame duck president but still he is better than a hardliner,” said Afarin, 37, owner of a beauty salon in the central city of Isfahan.
Officials in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – the principal defenders of the regime in Tehran – told The Telegraph that Pezeshkian had been allowed to compete in the election to “legitimise the vote”.
“No one in the Guardian Council or the office of the Supreme Leader did not expect that coming, he was just approved to boost turnout,” one official said.
“We know he was going to win after the first round and there has been a high-ranking meeting on how to stop his West-leaning behaviour.”
The former health minister and university professor garnered support from millions of young Iranians, especially women, who faced oppression under the administration of Raisi.
Pezeshkian’s supporters hope he may be able to lead the country out of international isolation or at least avoid plunging it into the abyss of war in an increasingly volatile region.
While the presidency still wields considerable influence over daily life in Iran, ultimate authority lies with the supreme leader, who has direct or indirect control over all branches of government, as well as the military.
Pezeshkian has repeatedly pledged to follow Khamenei’s policies.
“I believe in the supreme leader, I am totally following him,” he said.