In Iran’s national discharge elections, reformist candidate and brain doctor Masoud Pezeshkian won. His campaign promises included speaking with European countries and easing the protection of Iran’s stipulated robe law. Pezeshkian’s enemy, the difficult- coat Saeed Jalili, was ineffective in his bid for the presidency.
The election saw a attendance of around 30 million citizens, with Pezeshkian acquiring over 17 million seats and Jalili receiving more than 13 million vote, according to Iran’s election power.
Who is Masoud Pezeshkian?
Born in Iran’s Mahabad on September 29, 1954, Pezeshkian’s different ethnic background shaped his respect for Iran’s social fabric. He returned to his former military service to the Iran-Iraq War, where he worked as a well-known heart surgeon, and eventually took over as professor of medical science at Tabriz University.
Pezeshkian’s career took a dreadful change in 1994 when a car accident took the lives of his family, Fatemeh Majidi, and one of his sons. His first political experience came with this incident, when he served under President Mohammad Khatami as health secretary as well as as assistant health minister. Pezeshkian has attempted to balance his liberal ideals with the constraints of Iran’s autocratic system throughout his political job.
Stand on Iran’s provocative Hijab law
Pezeshkian boldly criticized the incident after Mahsa Amini’s passing in 2022, saying that it was intolerable in the Islamic Republic to assault a woman for her dress and then hand over her figure to her household.
During a television debate, he addressed the government’s deficiencies, saying,” We are losing our backing in the world because of our behaviour, higher rates, our treatment of women and because we censor the computer. People are unhappy with us because of how we act.
Low vote voting
The June 28, 2024, national vote, which saw Pezeshkian facing hard- range past nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili in a runoff, was marked by the lowest turnout in Iran’s history. Pezeshkian’s plan, supported by mild and liberal figures, advocated for increased relations with the West, a transfer to the nuclear alignment, and a more liberal approach to the hijab law. Despite his efforts, the governing body’s voter turnout remained low, with many Iranians dissatisfied with it.
Pezeshkian acknowledged this sentiment during his final debate with Jalili, saying,” With all the noisy arguments between me and him, only 40 percent ( of eligible voters ) voted. Sixty percent do n’t accept us. So people have issues with us.
He consistently recognized Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as the supreme authority in state matters and he consistently refrained from promising radical changes to Iran’s Shiite theocracy throughout his campaign.
Elections were held in the wake of Ebrahim Raisi’s death in a May helicopter accident. Rasi was thought to be a potential replacement for Khamenei’s position as supreme leader, despite being widely regarded as a close confidant and mentee of the former leader. His involvement in the 1988 mass executions in Iran and his role in the violent repression of protests following Mahsa Amini’s death in 2022 both contributed to his legacy.
