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Iranians voted on Friday to elect a new president following the tragic death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash earlier this year. As vote counting continues today, initial results indicate a tight race between the contenders.
State media has reported that, after counting over 19 million votes, Masoud Pezeshkian leads with 8.3 million votes, while Jalili follows closely with 7.2 million votes.
Voters cast their ballots to choose from four contenders: conservative Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, hardliner Jalili, centrist Pezeshkian, and conservative Mostafa Pourmohammadi.
Official results and further details on voter turnout are still awaited, as the nation anticipates the announcement from the Ministry of Interior this evening.
Who is Masoud Pezeshkian?
Masoud Pezeshkian stands out as the only candidate in this election who does not belong to the conservative or hardline factions. A five-time lawmaker representing Tabriz, he has served as deputy parliament speaker from 2016 to 2020. A heart surgeon by profession, Pezeshkian has been a longstanding member of Iran’s parliament health commission.
He previously served as health minister in the early 2000s under former President Mohammad Khatami. Notably, Pezeshkian was disqualified from running in the 2021 presidential election by the Guardian Council.
Official results and further details on voter turnout are still awaited, as the nation anticipates the announcement from the Ministry of Interior.