Following a neck-and-neck race between the top two candidates in Iran's presidential election on Friday, hardcore conservative Saeed Jalili and low-profile Reformist Masoud Pezeshkian made their way into a runoff slated for July 5.
Based on the official results announced by Iran's Interior Ministry on Saturday, Pezeshkian won 42.6% of the vote followed by Jalili with 38.8%, with neither garnering sufficient votes to move past the 50% threshold required for an outright victory.
Another key contender was heavyweight conservative and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. Despite enjoying support from powerful commanders and institutions, Ghalibaf, who had fared well in opinion polls, fell far behind the leading two, winning only 15% of the vote.
Based on the official figures, voter turnout stood at 40%, the lowest ever on record in the numerous elections the Islam Republic has held since its inception in 1979. The participation rate was in matching with a downward trend witnessed in the last three parliamentary and presidential elections since 2019.
