Voter turnout crucial ...
Page 1
The most prominent official position held by Jalili was Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council in president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s government. He is now a member of the Expediency Council and the Leader’s representative on the Supreme National Security Council.
On the other side, Pezeshkian is the representative of change-seekers in Iran. Critics of Raisi’s government, including reformists, moderates, and even some conservatives, are looking forward to his success in the election. As emphasized in his recent two debates, Pezeshkian does not consider Raisi’s government as ultimately successful and believes that Jalili gaining power will worsen the country’s internal and external situation. Pezeshkian positions himself as inclined towards engaging with the world and resolving the nuclear issue to lift sanctions. Regarding internal matters, he claims to have a more open approach compared to his rival. He has explicitly stated his opposition to the morality police and restrictions on internet access.
Pezeshkian, who has been a member of Parliament for several consecutive terms, previously served as the Minister of Health in the reformist government of president Mohammad Khatami. He is also a cardiac surgeon.
Previously, in elections with less than 50% voter turnout, the conservative faction often came out on top. However, in the first round of this election on July 8, despite a relatively low turnout of 40%, the reformist candidate succeeded in obtaining the most votes, although his percentage did not meet the necessary threshold for a first-round victory.
Now, Pezeshkian and his supporters hope that in the second round, a percentage of those who did not participate in the first round will come to the polls. Jalili and his supporters also hope to add the three million votes of Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, another conservative candidate from the first round, to Jalili’s tally. Qalibaf has announced his support for Jalili in a statement. However, it does not seem that all of Qalibaf’s votes will go to Jalili, and political experts believe that some of these votes will instead go to Pezeshkian.
Therefore, it seems that voter turnout in the second round of the election will be a determining factor in the election’s outcome. According to expert assessments, relatively low turnout will benefit Jalili, while relatively high turnout will favor Pezeshkian.