‘Reformer’ Masoud Pezeshkian Wins Iranian Presidential Election

On Friday, July 5, Iran held the second round of early presidential elections called after the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a plane crash on May 19. The victory was won by the candidate of the reformist wing, Masoud Pezeshkian. His victory was officially announced by the head of the election commission, which is part of the Iranian Interior Ministry, Mohsen Eslami.

The official statement said that the results of 30,510,157 ballots cast were counted. The turnout was about 50%. Almost 54% of voters voted for Masoud Pezeshkian, while more than 44% voted for his opponent, conservative Said Jalili.

Masoud Pezeshkian, 69, is considered a reformist politician and has been a member of the Iranian parliament for the last five terms. He is a doctor by training. He worked as a cardiac surgeon. He headed the Tabriz Medical University. He served as Iran’s Minister of Health and Medical Education during Mohammad Khatami’s second term (2001-2005). He had previously tried unsuccessfully to run for president twice.

It should be noted that the “reformer” Pezeshkian has always consistently supported the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). He condemned the US authorities, who declared the IRGC a terrorist organization in 2019, and called the American administration “terrorist”.

At the same time, Pezeshkian has repeatedly criticized the authorities for taking too harsh measures against protesters in Iran.

He is unmarried. His wife, a gynecologist, died in a car accident along with one of their children in 1993. Masoud Pezeshkian raised two sons and a daughter alone, and has not remarried since his wife’s death.

The president in Iran is formally considered the head of state. The president has a significant influence on Iran’s foreign policy. But in reality, the country is governed by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, Ali Khamenei.