©ATTA KENARE / AFP
Iran's reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday won a runoff presidential election against ultraconservative Saeed Jalili, the interior ministry said.
Pezeshkian received more than 16 million votes and Jalili more than 13 million out of about 30 million votes cast, electoral authority spokesman Mohsen Eslami said, adding that voter turnout stood at 49.8%.
The number of spoiled ballots was reported to be over 600,000.
Pezeshkian thanked his supporters who came to vote "with love and to help" the country.
"We will extend the hand of friendship to everyone; we are all people of this country; we should use everyone for the progress of the country," he said on state television.
The election, called early after the death of ultraconservative president Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash, followed a first round marked by a historically low turnout last week.
The ballot comes against a backdrop of heightened regional tensions over the Gaza war, a dispute with the West over Iran's nuclear programme, and domestic discontent over the state of Iran's sanctions-hit economy.
In last week's first round, Pezeshkian, who was the only reformist allowed to stand, won the largest number of votes, around 42%, while Jalili came second with around 39%, according to figures from Iran's elections authority.
Only 40% of Iran's 61 million eligible voters took part in the first round -- the lowest turnout in any presidential election since the Islamic Revolution of 1979.
The candidacy of Pezeshkian, a relative unknown until recently, has raised the hopes of Iran's reformists after years of dominance by the conservative and ultraconservative camps
[readmore"https://thisisbeirut.com.lb/world/267722"]
Iran's main reformist coalition supported Pezeshkian, with endorsements by former presidents Mohammad Khatami and Hassan Rouhani, a moderate.
Pezeshkian, a 69-year-old heart surgeon, has called for "constructive relations" with Western countries to revive the nuclear deal in order to "get Iran out of its isolation".
Jalili, 58, is Iran's former nuclear negotiator who is widely recognized for his uncompromising anti-West stance.
Ahead of Friday's runoff, Pezeshkian and Jalili took part in two televised debates during which they discussed the low turnout, as well as Iran's economic woes, international relations and internet restrictions.
Pezeshkian vowed to ease long-standing internet restrictions and to "fully" oppose police patrols enforcing the mandatory headscarf for women.
Menna Zaki, with AFP
Pezeshkian received more than 16 million votes and Jalili more than 13 million out of about 30 million votes cast, electoral authority spokesman Mohsen Eslami said, adding that voter turnout stood at 49.8%.
The number of spoiled ballots was reported to be over 600,000.
Pezeshkian thanked his supporters who came to vote "with love and to help" the country.
"We will extend the hand of friendship to everyone; we are all people of this country; we should use everyone for the progress of the country," he said on state television.
The election, called early after the death of ultraconservative president Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash, followed a first round marked by a historically low turnout last week.
The ballot comes against a backdrop of heightened regional tensions over the Gaza war, a dispute with the West over Iran's nuclear programme, and domestic discontent over the state of Iran's sanctions-hit economy.
Reformist support
In last week's first round, Pezeshkian, who was the only reformist allowed to stand, won the largest number of votes, around 42%, while Jalili came second with around 39%, according to figures from Iran's elections authority.
Only 40% of Iran's 61 million eligible voters took part in the first round -- the lowest turnout in any presidential election since the Islamic Revolution of 1979.
The candidacy of Pezeshkian, a relative unknown until recently, has raised the hopes of Iran's reformists after years of dominance by the conservative and ultraconservative camps
[readmore"https://thisisbeirut.com.lb/world/267722"]
Iran's main reformist coalition supported Pezeshkian, with endorsements by former presidents Mohammad Khatami and Hassan Rouhani, a moderate.
Pezeshkian, a 69-year-old heart surgeon, has called for "constructive relations" with Western countries to revive the nuclear deal in order to "get Iran out of its isolation".
Jalili, 58, is Iran's former nuclear negotiator who is widely recognized for his uncompromising anti-West stance.
Ahead of Friday's runoff, Pezeshkian and Jalili took part in two televised debates during which they discussed the low turnout, as well as Iran's economic woes, international relations and internet restrictions.
Pezeshkian vowed to ease long-standing internet restrictions and to "fully" oppose police patrols enforcing the mandatory headscarf for women.
Menna Zaki, with AFP
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