Presidential election in Iran The reformer is ahead - there will be a run-off

The presidential election in Iran has so far been a close race between the moderate Massud Peseshkian and the hardliner Said Jalili. If no candidate achieves an absolute majority, there will be a run-off.

After a historically low voter turnout in Iran, moderate presidential candidate Massud Peseshkian and hardliner Said Jalili will go into a run-off. Only around 40 percent of eligible voters had voted, said Mohsen Eslami, spokesman for the electoral authority, in the capital Tehran on Saturday. The former health minister Peseschkian received around 42.5 percent of the vote. Jalili secured 38.7 percent. Iran's parliamentary speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf and the Islamic cleric Mostafa Purmohammadi are out of the race. The run-off election will take place next Friday.

Around 61 million voters were called upon to elect a new head of government on Friday. The polling stations were open until late in the evening after being extended several times by the Ministry of the Interior. Out of a total of 80 candidates, the so-called Guardian Council, a powerful Islamic supervisory body, had only approved six as candidates. Two of them withdrew.

The electoral authorities counted a total of just over 24 million votes cast. This puts the voter turnout at a historically low 40 percent. In the last presidential election in 2021, it was around 49%. Most of the country's inhabitants, especially young people, have lost faith in major domestic political change. Some activists, student organizations and the imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi had called for a boycott before the election.

Reform candidate backed middle-class positions

Peseshkian is 69 years old and comes from north-western Iran. During the election campaign, the previously rather inconspicuous politician campaigned for new trust between the government and the people, who are massively disappointed with politics after failed attempts at reform, political repression and an economic crisis. Peseschkian was the only moderate candidate to be approved by the Guardian Council. Until the very end, experts had debated how good his chances were.

In the early 1990s, Peseschkian lost his wife and one of his sons in a traffic accident. The widower also appeared at his election rallies with his daughter and grandchild. Like many politicians from the reform camp, he called for an improvement in relations with the West.

During the election campaign, the politician criticized the headscarf policy and campaigned for votes with middle-class positions. At the same time, Peseshkian expressed his loyalty to religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the powerful Revolutionary Guards and praised the attack on Israel with drones and missiles. In the TV debates, he described himself as a conservative politician who believes reforms are necessary.

Loyal candidate Jalili only in second place

The second-placed Jalili belonged to the closest circle of power early on and worked in the office of religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Under the controversial former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Jalili was chief negotiator in the nuclear negotiations. He enjoys broad support from radical and loyal supporters of the system.

The political scientist with a doctorate comes from the north-eastern metropolis and pilgrimage city of Mashhad. During the Iran-Iraq war (1980-88), the arch-conservative man was wounded at the front and lost part of his right leg. After the war, he taught in the capital Tehran before embarking on a career in the Foreign Ministry. Jalili is considered a staunch supporter of the ideology of the Islamic Revolution in Iran.

Moderate government would have limited room for maneuver

A moderate president would have limited opportunities to shape the government, says political scientist Tareq Sydiq from Marburg University. "With a parliament dominated by hardliners, with a supreme religious leader who has repeatedly signaled that too moderate a policy is not really desirable - I wouldn't expect much room for manoeuvre," explains the Iran expert. "Of course, this also influences the otherwise low level of enthusiasm for this election." After all, a moderate president is unlikely to be able to keep his election promises.

Enthusiasm for elections has been low for years, the expert continues. He cites the disastrous record of previous governments, the protests and their violent repression as well as the political repression against headscarf violations. "All of this will tend to depress the mood, both in terms of political and social rights," says Sydiq. Expectations of an improvement in the political and economic situation as a result of the election are likely to be low. The mood is characterized above all by "disillusionment and hopelessness".

Well-known singer speaks out

During the election campaign, the candidates mainly debated ways to overcome the enormous economic crisis in the country. Iran is subject to international sanctions due to its controversial nuclear program and is largely cut off from the global financial system. The country needs billions in investment. The candidates also discussed domestic issues, cultural policy and how to deal with the West.

A good 60 percent of those eligible to vote stayed away. Prominent singer Sherwin Hajipur, who was awarded a Grammy for his protest anthem "Baraye", also pointed this out on social media. "Above all, we need to hear the voice of those who did not go to the polls," he wrote. In March, the singer was sentenced to three years and eight months in prison for his song, which was released during the uprisings in the fall of 2022.

Many young people who took to the streets at the time also reject the positions of reformist politicians such as Peseshkian. Reforms of the political system are not possible, is often the accusation of the demonstrators, who instead demand the overthrow of the Islamic system of rule. Iran's political system has combined republican and theocratic features since the 1979 revolution. However, there are no free elections: the supervisory body of the Guardian Council always checks candidates for their suitability.

dpa