Polls open for Iran's runoff presidential election
Shafaq News/ Polls opened Friday for Iran's runoff presidential election, the interior ministry said, pitting reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian against ultraconservative Saeed Jalili in the race to succeed Ebrahim Raisi.
The Islamic Republic's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say in all state matters, cast his ballot when the polls opened at 08:00 a.m. (0430 GMT), state TV showed.
Polling stations across the country will remain open until 6 p.m. local time (1430 GMT). However, the Interior Ministry, which manages the election, may extend the stipulated 10-hour voting process to accommodate more voters.
"We are starting the second round of the 14th presidential election to choose the future president from among the two candidates across 58,638 polling stations in the country and all stations abroad," Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said.
In last week's first round, Pezeshkian, the only reformist permitted to stand, won the largest number of ballots, around 42 percent, while the former nuclear negotiator Jalili came in second place with 39 percent, according to figures from Iran's elections authority. The winner must secure 50% plus one vote for an outright win.
The conservative parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf came in third place with 13.8 percent, while cleric Mostafa Pourmohammadi garnered less than one percent.
Only 40 percent of Iran's 61 million eligible voters cast their ballots – the lowest turnout in any presidential election since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
On Wednesday, Ayatollah Khamenei called for a higher turnout in the runoff. "The second round of the presidential election is very important," he said in a video carried by state TV. He noted participation was "not as expected" in the first round but emphasized it was not an act "against the system."
Iran's presidential election was originally scheduled for 2025 but was brought forward by the death of ultraconservative president Raisi in a May helicopter crash.
The rival candidates in the runoff have held two debates discussing Iran's economic woes, international relations, the low voter turnout, and internet restrictions. Pezeshkian, a 69-year-old heart surgeon who has represented the northwestern city of Tabriz in parliament since 2008, has earned the support of Iran's main reformist coalition, with former reformist presidents Mohammad Khatami and Hassan Rouhani declaring their backing for his bid.
Jalili, 58, has rallied a substantial base of hardline supporters and received backing from Ghalibaf and two other ultraconservative candidates who dropped out of the race before the first round.
Regardless of the result, Iran's next president will be responsible for applying state policy outlined by the supreme leader, who wields ultimate authority in the country.
