(CTN News) – Iran is set to hold a run-off presidential election on July 5 after none of the candidates managed to secure more than 50% of the votes amid a historic low turnout on Friday.
The unexpected election follows the tragic death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash last month, prompting the early vote initially scheduled for 2025.
“None of the candidates could garner the absolute majority of the votes, therefore, the first and second contenders who got the most votes will be referred to the Guardian Council for the second round,” announced Interior Ministry spokesperson Mohsen Eslami.
The elections took place during a period of heightened regional tension, with conflicts involving Israeli forces and Iranian allies Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, as well as intensified Western scrutiny over Iran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program.
With more than 24 million votes counted, moderate lawmaker Massoud Pezeshkian led with over 10 million votes, while hardline diplomat Saeed Jalili followed closely with over 9.4 million votes, according to the interior ministry’s statement on Saturday.
The run-off will see Pezeshkian and Jalili vying for the presidency as the leading candidates from Friday’s polls.
Candidates’ Profiles
Massoud Pezeshkian, 69, is a heart surgeon who has represented the northern city of Tabriz in parliament since 2008. He previously served as health minister under Iran’s last reformist president, Mohammad Khatami, who was in office from 1997 to 2005. Khatami has endorsed Pezeshkian’s bid in the current elections.
Saeed Jalili is a former nuclear negotiator who has held several senior positions, including roles in Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s office in the early 2000s.
He currently serves as one of Khamenei’s representatives in the Supreme National Security Council, Iran’s highest security body.
According to Eslami, other candidates received significantly fewer votes, with parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf receiving about 3,383,340 votes and Mostafa Pourmohammadi garnering 206,397 votes.
Out of around 61 million eligible voters, approximately 24,500,000 participated in the election, marking a turnout of around 40% — the lowest in the country’s history.
Election Context and Challenges
The run-off will be only the second in Iran’s history since the 1979 revolution, with the first occurring in 2005. The Guardian Council, which vets electoral candidates, had initially approved six contenders.
However, a day before the election, two candidates, Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani and Raisi’s vice president Amir-Hossein Ghazizadeh-Hashemi, withdrew from the race.
Addressing the severe economic issues facing the nation is a significant challenge for all candidates. Many Iranians are struggling to make ends meet due to economic sanctions and internal economic mismanagement.
While the next president is not expected to make significant changes to Iran’s nuclear policy or its support for regional militia groups, as these are dictated by Khamenei, they will influence the tone of Iran’s foreign and domestic policy through the government’s daily administration.
The Guardian Council, composed of six clerics and six jurists aligned with Khamenei, plays a critical role in the electoral process, approving a limited number of candidates from an initial pool of 80.
As Iran prepares for the decisive run-off election, the nation and the international community watch closely to see how the new leadership will navigate the country’s numerous challenges.