Reformist lawmaker Masoud Pezeshkian wins Iran’s presidential vote

Reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian has won Iran’s presidential election, Iranian state news agency Press TV reported Saturday citing the country’s election headquarters, beating his hardline rival in a pivotal vote at a time of tensions at home and abroad.

Reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian has won Iran’s presidential election, the country’s electoral authority said Saturday, defeating his hardline rival in a pivotal vote amid heightened tensions both domestically and internationally. Out of 30.5 million votes counted in Friday’s runoff, Pezeshkian won 53.6%, edging out ultraconservative Saeed Jalili, who had 44.3% of the votes, state-run Press TV reported. Voter turnout was 49.8%, Press TV reported. Pezeshkian was elected in a second round of voting after securing the highest number of ballots in the first round, ahead of Jalili. The first round saw the lowest voter turnout for a presidential election since the Islamic Republic was established in 1979. In a victory speech in Tehran on Saturday, Pezeshkian thanked the Iranian people and vowed to serve as a “voice of the voiceless.” “I am the servant of the people of Iran. We will serve you, dear people of our country,” Pezeshkian said at the burial site of Imam Khomeini, the leader of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution and the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The 69-year-old trained heart surgeon and lawmaker acknowledged the challenges facing the country as he called for unity in what he described as a new chapter for Iran.