Two Candidates to Compete in Iran's Presidential Run-Off

Maryam Sinaiee
Maryam Sinaiee

British Iranian journalist and political analyst

An Iranian child casts a vote at a polling station in a snap presidential election to choose a successor to Ebrahim Raisi following his death in a helicopter crash, in Tehran, Iran June 28, 2024.
An Iranian child casts a vote at a polling station in a snap presidential election to choose a successor to Ebrahim Raisi following his death in a helicopter crash, in Tehran, Iran June 28, 2024.

With all 24.5 million ballots counted, pro-reform candidate Masoud Pezeshkian is leading in Iran's snap presidential election, followed by hardliner Saeed Jalili who will compete in next Friday's run-off election.

Pezeshkian is leading with 10.4 million votes. Total votes cast is 24.53 million out of more than 61 million eligible voters.

He is followed by Saeed Jalili with almost 9.5 million votes, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf with 3.4 million, and Mostafa Pourmohammadi with 206 thousand votes, according to official figures released by the Interior Ministry Saturday morning.

Voter turnout at around 40% is the lowest in the history of the Islamic Republic. Additionally, there are 1.05 million invalid votes. The majority of voters boycotted the election, snubbing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei who had call for a large turnout.

Throughout Friday, there were numerous reports of low turnout, even by journalists and politicians who were observing the polling stations. The 40% turnout is a total defeat for the Islamic Republic and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei who repeatedly urged people to vote, making the election a referendum on his regime's legitimacy.

In 2021, turnout was 48 percent, the lowest in any presidential elections, while the present 40% turnout marks an unprecedented trend in the Islamic Republic's history since 1979. The 2021 number included the highest-ever percent of void and blank votes at 13 percent of all ballots cast.

Iranian women pose on the day of a snap presidential election to choose a successor to Ebrahim Raisi following his death in a helicopter crash, in Tehran, Iran June 28, 2024.
Iranian women pose on the day of a snap presidential election to choose a successor to Ebrahim Raisi following his death in a helicopter crash, in Tehran, Iran June 28, 2024.

The polls were extended three times until midnight with the hope that more people would flock to vote. Traditionally, Iranian voters mostly go to polling stations in the evening hours and voting is usually extended beyond the official hours. But on Friday nothing helped to lift the mood of voters.

Since 2020, it has become clear that a majority of Iranians have lost faith in the government's ability to improve the economy and allow more social and political freedoms. Participation in both presidential and parliamentary elections has fallen below 50%, with many people doubting the official election results and suspecting that the government is exaggerating even the low turnout numbers.

On Friday, some political observers in Tehran were commenting that the government was struggling to bring the official number of votes up to 40%, as no one would have believed any higher number.

In a tweet following the extension of voting hours, former Foreign Minister Mohammad Zarif urged Iranians not to stay home. “Ignore the deceptive text messages and attempts to keep you at home,” he wrote, without explaining the origin or content of these messages.

Citizen reporters mentioned receiving a text message from the interior ministry in the afternoon, quoting Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who stated that their votes, regardless of the candidate, were votes for the Islamic Republic.

“The meaning of the text message is: Those of you who are hesitant whether to vote for Pezeshkian or not, stay home! Because your votes are votes for the Islamic Republic,” one of the tweets regarding the interior ministry’s text message said. “Our vote is not [for] a referendum. It’s voting for a normal life. This text message has hidden intentions,” another tweet said.