The second round of Iran's presidential election takes place between two moderate and hardline candidates.

Friday's vote to replace the late President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash last month, was marred by tensions between little-known lawmaker Massoud Pezeshkian, the only moderate among four candidates, and former Revolutionary Guards member Saeed Jalili.

Presidential candidate Masoud Pezeshkian waves to supporters on presidential election day in Tehran, Iran on June 28, 2024. Photo: WANA

Iran's Interior Ministry said neither side achieved 50% plus 1 of the more than 25 million votes needed to win, with Pezeshkian leading with more than 10 million votes, followed by Jalili with more than 9.4 million votes.

Voter turnout on Friday hit a record low of around 40%, according to figures released by Iran's Interior Ministry on Saturday.

With Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei now 85 years old, it is likely that the next president will be chosen to succeed him, who is looking for a loyal president who can ensure a smooth succession to his position.

The anti-Western stance of Jalili, Iran's hard-line former nuclear negotiator, contrasts with that of Pezeshkian. Analysts say a Jalili victory could lead to a hardening of the Islamic Republic's domestic and foreign policies.

But a win for moderate Pezeshkian could help ease tensions with the West. "We will respect the headscarf law, but there must never be any violation or inhumane treatment of women," Pezeshkian said after the vote.

He was referring to the death of Mahsa Amini, a young Kurdish woman who died in 2022 while being detained by the morality police for allegedly violating the Islamic dress code. The unrest sparked by Amini’s death became the largest protest against clerical leaders in Iran in years.

Huy Hoang (according to WANA, Reuters, AJ)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/vong-2-bau-cu-tong-thong-iran-se-dien-ra-giua-hai-ung-vien-on-hoa-va-cung-ran-post301769.html