The Iranian Ministry of Interior has officially announced that reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian emerged victorious in the presidential election runoff. Pezeshkian secured 16,384,403 votes, surpassing conservative candidate Saeed Jalili, who received 13,538,179 votes.

Pezeshkian's victory marks him as the ninth elected president of the Islamic Republic of Iran since the Islamic Revolution led by Imam Khomeini in 1979. The announcement follows the completion of vote counting across tens of thousands of polling stations nationwide.

Gaining substantial support from the reformist coalition throughout the election process, Pezeshkian benefited from the early consolidation of various reformist factions. In contrast, the conservative camp experienced initial divisions due to a plethora of candidates, including Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who finished third in the first round, and Saeed Jalili.

Officials reported a voter turnout of 49.6% in the second round of the election, reflecting a significant engagement from the Iranian electorate.

Pezeshkian’s victory is seen as a pivotal moment for the reformist movement in Iran, signaling potential shifts in domestic and foreign policies under his administration. (ILKHA)