TEHRAN: Iranians voted on Friday in a second round of presidential elections between a reformist who advocates better relations with the West and an ultra-conservative former nuclear negotiator.
The election, called early after President Ebrahim Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash, followed a first round marred by record low turnout last week.
The runoff between reformist Masoud Pezeshkian and ultra-conservative Saeed Jalili came amid rising regional tensions over the Gaza war, Iran's nuclear standoff with the West and widespread economic discontent exacerbated by Western sanctions.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on all matters of state in Iran, cast his ballot as polls opened.
“I heard that people's enthusiasm and interest is greater than before, praise God that it will be like this, and if so, it will be gratifying,” he said.
Polling stations closed at midnight (2030 GMT) after voting had lasted a total of six hours.
State television earlier showed voters queuing in Saveh, in central Iran, and in Kerman, in the south, but AFP Correspondents said polling stations appeared less crowded in Tehran.
In last week's first round, Pezeshkian, the only reformist allowed to run, won the most votes, around 42%, while Jalili came in second with 39%, according to figures from Iran's election authority.
Only 40 percent of Iran's 61 million eligible voters participated – the lowest turnout in any presidential election since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Low involvement
Khamenei had called for a higher turnout in the second round, stressing the importance of the elections.
He said turnout in the first round was lower than expected, but added that it was not an act “against the system.”
The election was originally scheduled for 2025 but was brought forward following Raisi's death in a helicopter crash in May.
Pezeshkian and Jalili took part in two televised debates during which they discussed low turnout as well as Iran's economic problems, international relations and Internet restrictions.
Pezeshkian vowed to “totally” oppose police patrols enforcing compulsory headscarf use for women, a high-profile issue since the 2022 death in police custody of Mahsa Amini.
The 22-year-old Iranian Kurd had been detained for an alleged dress code violation and her death sparked months of unrest across the country.
At a polling station in Tehran, Fatemeh, 48, said she voted for the reformist whose “priorities include women's and youth rights.”
The candidacy of Pezeshkian, a relative unknown until recently, has raised the hopes of Iranian reformists after years of dominance by conservative and ultra-conservative camps.
Jalili, known for his staunch anti-Western stance, mobilized a substantial base of hardline support and received backing from other ultra-conservative candidates.
During the campaign, the 58-year-old criticized moderates for signing on to the 2015 deal that promised sanctions relief for Iran in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear program.
Jalili said the deal, from which the United States withdrew in 2018 under then-President Donald Trump, “did not benefit Iran at all.”
fed up
“I voted for Jalili because the next president should not repeat the previous mistake and sign a new deal with the West,” said Ali, a 38-year-old university professor, at a polling station in central Tehran.
“They fooled us once and that's enough. We cannot trust their promises,” said Ali, who gave only his first name.
Pezeshkian, a 69-year-old heart surgeon, has called for “constructive relations” with Western countries to revive the nuclear deal and thus “bring Iran out of its isolation.”
Pezeshkian voted at a school west of Tehran, where he was accompanied by former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who helped broker the 2015 deal.
A member of parliament representing the northwestern city of Tabriz since 2008, he has won the support of Iran's reformists, with former presidents Mohammad Khatami and Hassan Rouhani backing his candidacy.
Casting his ballot on Friday, Khatami urged Iranians to vote “for the future and the good of the country.”
Pezeshkian said people were “fed up with their living conditions… and dissatisfied with the government's handling of affairs.”
Jalili has held several senior positions, including in Khamenei's office in the early 2000s.
He is currently one of Khamenei's representatives on the Supreme National Security Council, Iran's top security body.
