A reformist faces an ultraconservative as Iran votes for president
Iranians voted yesterday in a presidential run-off election where the choice is between a reformist advocating improved ties with the West and an ultraconservative former nuclear negotiator.
The election, called early after the death of ultraconservative president Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash, follows last week’s first round that was marked by a historically low voter turnout.
In a contest between reformist Masoud Pezeshkian and ultraconservative Saeed Jalili, the election unfolds amid heightened regional
nd tensions over the Gaza war, Iran’s nuclear dispute with the West and widespread economic discontent exacerbated by sanctions.
Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say in all state matters in the Islamic republic, cast his ballot when polling opened in the morning.
“I heard that the enthusiasm and interest of the people is more than before, praise to God that it will be like this, and if it is like this, it will be gratifying,” he said.
State television showed voters queuing outside polling stations in Saveh in central Iran and Kerman in the south, while AFP correspondents said voting venues seemed less busy in Tehran.
In last week’s first round, Pezeshkian, who was the only reformist permitted to stand, won the largest number of ballots, around 42 per cent, while Jalili came second with 39 per cent, according to figures from Iran’s elections authority.
Only 40 per cent of Iran’s 61 million eligible voters cast their ballot – the lowest turnout in any presidential election since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. (AFP)