Overview of Iran’s Runoff Presidential Election and Recap of Initial Round of Voting

Overview of Iran’s Runoff Presidential Election

Iran is gearing up for a significant runoff in the presidential election scheduled for Friday. The race pits a reformist against an ultraconservative candidate, with the backdrop of a notable lack of voter turnout and widespread apathy regarding the potential for substantial change through electoral means. The runoff comes in the wake of the tragic death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash last May.

Recap of the Initial Round of Voting

In the first round of voting, which took place last Friday, only around 40% of eligible voters participated, marking a historic low. None of the four candidates managed to secure the required 50% of votes for an outright victory. This outcome led to the two frontrunners heading into the runoff round: Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian, a reformist and former health minister, and Saeed Jalili, an ultra-hard-liner and ex-nuclear negotiator.

Dr. Pezeshkian’s advancement was influenced by the division of conservative votes between two candidates, with one receiving less than 1% of the total votes. The runoff election on Friday is expected to witness a slightly higher turnout, with some voters expressing concerns over Mr. Jalili’s hard-line stances and indicating a shift towards supporting Dr. Pezeshkian. Polls suggest that approximately half of the votes initially cast for Mr. Jalili’s conservative opponent, Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf, have now been redirected to Dr. Pezeshkian.