The Second Round of Iran's Presidential Election Begins

The second round of the 14th presidential election in Iran began at 8 AM on Friday, July 15, allowing Iranian citizens to choose between Massoud Pezeshkian, the reformist candidate, and Saeed Jalili, the hardline principlist candidate, for the ninth presidency of Iran. The first round of this election resulted in a fragile victory for Massoud Pezeshkian, who advanced to the second round with 10,415,991 votes, followed by Saeed Jalili with a total of 9,473,298 votes, placing second. Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Mostafa Pourmohammadi, two other principlist candidates, came in third and fourth with 3,383,340 votes and 206,397 votes, respectively, and withdrew from the electoral competition. However, one of the most significant events of the first round was the low public participation rate of less than 40%, which is the lowest in the history of presidential elections in Iran, an issue that opponents of the Islamic Republic consider indicative of its lack of legitimacy. The presence of only 39.92% of the people at the ballot boxes means that 60.02% of the society did not participate in this election, which all officials of the Islamic Republic, including Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Iranian government, expressed dissatisfaction with. Pezeshkian was the only reformist candidate this time, as the disqualification of figures like Eshaq Jahangiri and Abbas Akhoundi made it easier for him to convince reformist parties and figures. However, his challenge has been to persuade opposition figures and a broad spectrum of undecided individuals who believe that the president in the structure of the Islamic Republic lacks the ability to bring about the fundamental changes that Iranian society desperately needs today. Nevertheless, in recent days, several opposition figures who were part of the boycotters in the first round announced that in the second round, to prevent Saeed Jalili's victory, who supports aggressive policies in nuclear affairs and confrontation with the West and has the backing of hardline religious factions, they would support Massoud Pezeshkian, who advocates for lifting sanctions, improving relations with Western countries, and opposing morality police and internet censorship. Although a wide range of opposition figures, who argue that the president in Iran fundamentally lacks the power to implement such promises, have remained steadfast in their position and continue to call on Iranian citizens not to participate in the elections. This presidential election is being held early following the helicopter crash that resulted in the death of Ibrahim Raisi, the former president of Iran, and his companions. 80 people registered for candidacy in this election, of which the Guardian Council disqualified 74, some of whom have been senior officials of the Islamic Republic for years, such as Ali Larijani and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Amir Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi and Alireza Zakani were also approved for candidacy but withdrew one to two days before the voting.