Khamenei claims victory with less than 50% turnout, calls on new president to continue path

Political analyst Mohsen Sazegara told Iran International that Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, ultimately decides whose name comes out from the ballot boxes.

Earlier in the day, President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian, during a speech at the burial site of Ruhollah Khomeini, said, "First, I must thank Khamenei. Certainly, without him, I don't think my name would have come out of the ballot boxes so easily."

During his campaign, Pezeshkian mentioned that he had no specific program and would implement Khamenei's policies.

Exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi says the results of the election shows that the Iranian nation has rejected the Islamic Republic’s rule as “illegitimate.”

"This is a watershed moment in the history of the Iranian nation’s movement: the largest display of nonviolent, civil resistance against this regime in 45 years," he said on X.

President-elect Pezeshkian held a meeting with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Saturday evening local time.

According to Iranian media, Saeed Jalili, the candidate who lost to Pezeshkian in the runoff, also met with Khamenei earlier in the day.

Leaders from Azerbaijan, Venezuela, Kuwait, India, Iraq, Malaysia and several others have congratulated President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian and called for stronger ties.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Pezeshkian on Saturday, urging “to further strengthen our warm and long-standing bilateral relationship for the benefit of our peoples and the region”.

Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev welcomed Pezeshkian’s success and said Baku placed “great importance” on relations with Iran.

“I am confident that through our joint efforts, we will ensure further strengthening of the traditional friendly relations and the expansion of mutually beneficial cooperation between Azerbaijan and Iran in line with the interests of our peoples and countries,” Aliyev said, as he invited Pezeshkian to visit.

Venezuela's Foreign Minister Yvan Gil also congratulated Pezeshkian's victory, saying, “Venezuela expresses its conviction that the decision made by the Iranian people will contribute to the prosperity of this nation, as well as its consolidation as an emerging power in the nascent multipolar world."

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim also sent a congratulatory message, expressing his eagerness to strengthen bilateral relations.

Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid also conveyed his congratulations to Pezeshkian and expressed Iraq's keenness to enhance ties.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he looked forward to working closely with Pezeshkian, and promoting peace and stability in the region.

“As neighboring countries, Pakistan & Iran enjoy a close & historic relationship. We must ensure a bright future for our two peoples through mutually beneficial cooperation,” he wrote on X.

In his message, Emir Sheikh Mishal al-Ahmad al-Sabah of Kuwait wished Pezeshkian a long and healthy life and “more prosperity and development for the Islamic Republic”.

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani also congratulated Pezeshkian and wished him success.

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said, “The voting results confirm your high political authority and testify to the public support for the course of the country’s leadership in defending the national interests of Iran, creating prospects for its citizens and cooperation with the countries of your region."

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday congratulated Pezeshkian for his win in the presidential runoff election.

"I attach great importance to the development of China-Iran relations and am willing to work with the President to lead the China-Iran comprehensive strategic partnership towards deeper advancement," state news agency Xinhua reported Xi as saying

The two countries "have a long history of friendly exchanges, and bilateral relations have maintained healthy and stable development... for over half a century," Xi said, according to Xinhua.

"Faced with complex regional and international situations, China and Iran have always supported each other, worked together and continued to consolidate strategic mutual trust," he added.

"(This) has not only brought benefits to our two countries' peoples, but has also made active contributions to promoting regional and world peace and stability," he said.

As a close partner of Iran, China is its largest trade partner, and a top buyer of its sanctioned oil, mainly via its small refineries, known as teapots. The caveat is Iran's huge discounts on its crude.

Former President Hassan Rouhani extended his congratulations to President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian.

Rouhani said that the people voted for constructive engagement with the world and the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), signed during Rouhani’s tenure.

He also stressed that the government and authorities must not ignore those who did not participate in the election.

Rejecting allegations by other presidential runners who described Pezeshkian’s administration as the continuation of Rouhani’s, he said that “the 14th administration is the first government of Dr. Pezeshkian, not a continuation of previous administrations.”

President-elect Pezeshkian’s press conference, scheduled to be held on Saturday afternoon Tehran time, has been canceled.

The event was supposed to take place in Tehran with both domestic and international journalists in attendance.

Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has thanked all candidates and people involved in holding the presidential elections, saying that the nearly 50-percent voter turnout neutralized calls to boycott the elections.

“This grand act of defiance against the fabricated uproar of election boycott, which the enemies of the Iranian nation had orchestrated to instill despair and deadlock, is a brilliant and unforgettable feat,” he said. 

After a lackluster voter turnout in the first round of elections on June 28, Khamenei admitted that the participation rate was disappointing and “less than expected.” After he cast his vote in the runoff, he expressed hope that more people would show up for the second round."I have heard that people's enthusiasm and interest is higher than before (the previous round), I hope it is true" he said trying to sound positive.

In his message on Saturday, Khamenei also called on the newly elected president to continue the path of the late President Ebrahim Raisi.

Syrian President Bashar Assad congratulated Masoud Pezeshkian on his election as the Iranian president.

In his message, Assad said that Syria and the Islamic Republic would work towards "strengthening strategic relations and opening new horizons for bilateral cooperation."

Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated Masoud Pezeshkian on his election as the new president of Iran, the Kremlin said on Saturday.

"I hope that your activities as president will contribute to further building up constructive bilateral cooperation in all areas for the benefit of our friendly peoples, in the interests of simplifying regional security and stability," the statement said.

Saudi Arabia's king and crown prince congratulated Masoud Pezeshkian on his election as Iran's president, state news agency SPA reported on Saturday.

"I affirm my keenness on developing and deepening the relations between our countries and people and serve our mutual interests," SPA quoted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as saying.

In March 2023, Iran and Saudi Arabia signed a landmark China-brokered deal to re-establish relations after years of regional rivalry. Since then, officials from both sides continued talks to bolster ties.

In a speech on Saturday morning, Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said that the second round of elections was conducted with "perfect security, health, serious competition, and participation of 30 million."

There were approximately 61.5 million eligible voters for the runoff presidential election.

Without addressing the widespread boycotts, he dismissed allegations that “elections in Iran are meaningless.”

 He also thanked the other candidates for "energizing the elections."

Announcing the final election results, the government reported 10% increase in turnout compared with the first round on June 28.

Many Iranians opposed to the Islamic government began reacting on social by dismissing the high turnout number.

On Friday, dozens of videos were shared from Iran showing largely empty polling stations, while Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei remarked that the first round turnout was disappointing.

Masoud Pezeshkian won Iran’s snap presidential election by securing 16,384,403 votes, according to official figures.
His ultraconservative contender Saeed Jalili won 13,538,179 votes in a runoff election boycotted by over 50% of eligible voters.

A total of 30,530,157 ballots were cast, the figures released by the Interior Ministry show. Total number of eligible voters were around 61.5 million.

Out of 2,547,000 ballots counted so far, Pezeshkian is leading with 1,263,000 votes (49.6%), followed by Saeed Jalili with 1,244,000 votes (48.8%), according to the first official figures released by the Interior Ministry.

The official figures also put the number of invalid votes at 38,800.

While no official result has been declared yet, the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News says Masoud Pezeshkian has taken the lead over his ultraconservative contender Saeed Jalili in Iran's runoff presidential election.

Raja News, a media outlet close to Jalili, also reports that Pezeshkian is expected to win with nearly 16 million votes.

Citing "statistical analysis and field estimates", Raja News said almost 13 million people have voted for Jalili.

The figures, however, are not official, and Iran's Interior Ministry is expected to announce the final results in coming hours.

The vote counting process has started in polling stations across the country, and the results are expected to be announced gradually by the Interior Ministry, the Election Headquarters spokesman said.

Polling stations across Iran have closed their doors to voters since midnight, but those already inside will still be able to cast their ballots, according to the spokesperson for Iran's Election Headquarters.

Mohsen Eslami added that once there are no more voters waiting inside the stations, officials must begin counting the votes.

So far, 30.1 million people have cast their ballots in Iran's runoff presidential election, the Islamic Republic's official news agency IRNA reported, citing Alireza Salimi, a member of the Election's Executive Board.

The figure indicates that voter turnout has reached 49%, which is nine percent higher than the record-low turnout in the first round.

Iranian Green Movement leaders Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Zahra Rahnavard, who have been under house arrest since 2011, boycotted the runoff election and rejected the proposal to vote through a mobile ballot box, Iran International has learned.

Mousavi and Rahnavard had abstained from voting in the first round as well, unlike fellow Green Movement leader Mehdi Karroubi, who voted for Masoud Pezeshkian in both rounds.

The Iranian government's official newspaper says over 29.3 million ballots have been cast as of 22:40 (local time), exceeding the 28.9 million votes in the 2021 elections, which ended with Ebrahim Raisi's victory.

Although these figures are not official results, they show that voter turnout has so far reached 47.6%, which is nearly eight percent higher than the record-low turnout in the first round held last week.

So far, the voter turnout in the runoff election has "exceeded" the record-low turnout of the first round, which was 39.92%, Iran's Election Headquarters spokesman said in a press conference but did not provide any further details.

Iran’s Interior Ministry has extended voting for two more hours, until 24:00 (local time), to allow late-comers to cast their ballots in the runoff presidential election.
This will be the last time the voting is being extended, according to the Constitution.

In an exclusive interview with Iran International, renowned activist Bahareh Hedayat accused the 'reformist' of abandoning the Iranian people during the presidential election and helping the government to boost turnout.

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Political analyst Mehdi Arabshahi told Iran International that political prisoners stood with the people by boycotting the election this week, just as they did last week.

The move by the prisoners is in line with Iranian protesters who believe that the sham elections of the Islamic Republic cannot bring about change, and that the path to change lies elsewhere.

According to Arabshahi, boycotting elections is a recognized tactic of civil disobedience worldwide.

He says this widespread boycott has boosted the morale of dissidents while instilling fear among the officials of the Islamic Republic, particularly Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

The Biden admin has inexplicably allowed Iran to establish 35 polling stations across the US for its runoff election today, according to the website of Iran's Interests Section.

Iran International cannot independently confirm whether or not voting takes place in these polling stations.

In the first round, Voice of America conducted a study and found that out of 33 polling stations where voting was supposed to occur, 18 likely held voting. This was confirmed through Voice of America contacting 12 hotels and observing 6 stations based on social media images.

In an opinion piece for Iran International, US-Based analyst Navid Mohebbi explained why the US should not have allowed it.

Iran’s Interior Ministry has extended voting for two more hours, until 10 pm (local time), to allow late-comers to cast their ballots in the runoff presidential election.

The time will probably be extended again until midnight local time.

The Iran Human Rights Organization (IHRNGO) based in Norway has warned of a likely surge in executions following the presidential election in Iran.

Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the director of IHRNGO, cautioned that Iranian authorities historically reduce executions "to encourage people to participate in the elections" and then sharply increase them immediately afterward.

“The people of Iran and the international community must prepare now to counter and respond appropriately to the potential wave of executions,” Amiry-Moghaddam stated.

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Mehdi Karoubi, one of the leaders of Iran's 2009 Green Movement who has been under house arrest since 2011, cast his ballot on Friday, even though fellow Green Movement leaders Mir-Hossein Mousavi and his wife Zahra Rahnavard abstained from voting.

Karroubi had voted in the first round of Iran's presidential election last week.

The Green Movement sprang up in 2009, when in a dubious presidential election Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was unexpectedly announced the winner, triggering protests. Mousavi and Karroubi who were running against Ahmadinejad were later put under house arrest after Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei denounced then as "seditionists."

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Iran’s Interior Ministry has extended voting for two hours, until 8 pm (local time), to allow late-comers to cast ballots in the runoff presidential election.

Political prisoners in Tehran’s Evin Prison abstained from voting in the runoff presidential elections, just as they did last week, according to former political prisoner Mehdi Mahmoudian.

Among them were Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, reformist politician Mostafa Tajzadeh, and former MP Faezeh Hashemi.

A group of Iranian diaspora in Sweden gathered in Stockholm to protest the holding of the presidential election. The protesters carried pictures of some of the protesters who were killed by the Islamic Republic forces.

The protest was held in front of the Iranian embassy in Stockholm. The protesters chanted slogans against the Iranian government and called for free and fair elections in Iran. They also called for the release of political prisoners and an end to human rights abuses in Iran.

The protest in Stockholm is one of a number of protests that have been held around the world in recent weeks in response to the Iranian election.

Rallies against the Islamic Republic are held outside Iran's consulate buildings in several other cities across the globe, such as Sydney, Hamburg, Copenhagen, London and Manchester.

Elham Asadzadeh, sister of Amir-Javad Asadzadeh, who was killed in Mashhad during the 2022 protests, posted a photo on Instagram of the "Amir al-Momenin" mosque on Pirouzi Boulevard. The mosque has now been turned into a polling station for the second round of elections.

She said that in the basement of this mosque, government agents beat her brother to death.

Asadzadeh wrote: "This mosque, tainted with blood, has now become a polling station; shame on those who set foot in this mosque."

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad does not endorse any of the two presidential candidates, a social media account linked to the former Iranian president announced on Friday as polls opened across the country.

The announcement did not say if Ahmadinejad would vote or not. Moderate website Rouydad24 reported that he left Iran for Turkey for a four-day trip.

He has become a vocal critic of the ruling elite since 2018, after his bid to run in the 2017 presidential election was stopped by the Guardian Council that vets candidates.He was disqualified again for this round.

Issa Zarepour, Iran's Minister of Information and Communications Technology, reported several acts of "sabotage" on fiber optic lines since Thursday, stating that the damages were quickly repaired and the network remains stable.

"Four hundred teams are monitoring fiber optics and communication infrastructure," Zarepour added.

He also mentioned that during the first round of voting, there were over 20 attacks on fiber optic lines, with nine resulting in outages.

This comes as Iran's presidential election was held only with paper ballots, and no electronic voting machine was used, according to the Election Headquarters. However, the identity verification process was carried out electronically, according to Iranian authorities.

Images sent to Iran International from outside the Iranian embassy in Canberra, one of the polling stations in Australia for the second round of elections, show the station is largely empty.

Australia is about six and a half hours ahead of Iran, and voting started earlier there.

Iran International viewers reported that from 11:15 AM to 1:15 PM local time, only three people entered the Iranian embassy in Canberra to vote.

Masoud Pezeshkian and Saeed Jalili cast their votes in the early hours of the election day in two small towns in Tehran province. Pezeshkian voted at a school in Shahr-e Qods and Jalili at a mosque in Qarchak.

The next president is not expected to produce any major policy shift on Iran's nuclear program or support for militia groups across the Middle East because such policies are set by Khamenei. However, the outcome could influence the succession Iran's 85-year-old Supreme Leader, in power for three-and-a-half decades.

The rivals are establishment men loyal to Iran's theocratic rule, but a win by anti-Westerner Jalili might potentially signal an even more antagonistic domestic and foreign policy.

A triumph by Pezeshkian, however, might result in a pragmatic foreign policy, ease tensions over now-stalled negotiations with major powers to revive the nuclear pact, and improve prospects for social liberalization and political pluralism.

Both candidates have vowed to revive the flagging economy, beset by mismanagement, state corruption and sanctions reimposed since 2018 after the US ditched Tehran's 2015 nuclear pact with six world powers.

Calls to boycott the election persisted until the eve of election day. Influential Iranian figures, from those in prison cells to those on social media, have boycotted the presidential runoff, casting doubt on its legitimacy and branding it as a farce.

In recent weeks, many dissidents have expressed publicly that the upcoming election is a manipulated facade rather than a genuine democratic process.

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Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, cast his vote in the first minutes of voting, and repeated his calls on people to participate in the election.

As he cast his vote, Iran’s authoritarian ruler once again admitted that turnout had been too low in the first round last week.

"I have heard that people's enthusiasm and interest is higher than before (the previous round), I hope it is true" he said trying to sound positive. He added that "this is encouraging if it is true."

Earlier this week, Khamenei admitted that the low participation rate in the first round of presidential elections on Friday was "less than expected." Despite evidence that many Iranians are deeply disenchanted with the Islamic government, Khamenei dismissed the idea that those abstaining are against the Islamic Republic.

Before the first round, the 85-year-old ruler had repeatedly said that a large turnout in the election would enhance the weakened legitimacy of the regime. The official figure showing 60% abstained from voting was a hard blow for the top man in Tehran.

Amid growing calls for boycott by dissidents and activists, Iranians began voting for a new president on Friday, a week after a lackluster voter turnout in the snap election that followed Ebrahim Raisi's death in a helicopter crash.

The June 28 ballot marked a historic low turnout, when over 60% of Iranian voters abstained from voting to decide on a successor to Raisi. The low participation is seen by critics as a vote of no confidence in the Islamic Republic.

The runoff is a tight race between lawmaker Masoud Pezeshkian, the sole moderate in the original field of four candidates, and hardline former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili.

Polls open at 8 a.m. local time (0430 GMT) and close at 6 p.m. (1430 GMT), but are usually extended until as late as midnight. The final result will be announced on Saturday, although initial figures may come out sooner.

The hashtag #ElectionCircus has been widely posted on social media platform X by Iranians in the past few weeks.