Iran will hold a runoff presidential election pitting a little-known reformist against a hard-line former nuclear negotiator after results released Saturday showed the lowest-ever poll turnout in the Islamic Republic's history, the AP reports. More than 60% of voters cast no ballot in the race that saw reformist Masoud Pezeshkian best Saeed Jalili, who competed alongside two other hard-liners. With Jalili now alone in facing the cardiac surgeon, Pezeshkian's campaign would need to draw voters to the July 5 runoff in an election they've otherwise not taken part in as public anger hardens following years of economic hardships and mass protests under the nation's Shiite theocracy.
"Let's look at it as a protest in its own right: a very widespread choice to reject what's on offer—both the candidates and the system," said Sanam Vakil, the director of Chatham House's Middle East and North Africa program. Of the 24.5 million votes cast in Friday's election, 10.4 million went to Pezeshkian while Jalili received 9.4 million, election spokesman Mohsen Eslami announced. Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf got 3.3 million, and Shiite cleric Mostafa Pourmohammadi had over 206,000 votes. The winner needs more than 50% of all votes cast. Otherwise, the top two candidates advance to a runoff a week later, per the AP.
As has been the case since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, women and those calling for radical change are barred from running, while the voting will have no oversight from internationally recognized monitors. There were signs of wide disenchantment. More than 1 million votes were voided, according to the results, typically a sign of people feeling obligated to cast a ballot but not wanting to select any of the candidates. The overall turnout was 39.9%, according to the results. The 2021 presidential election saw a 48.8% turnout, while the March parliamentary election had 40.6%. Vakil said the question is whether "that 60% who stayed home are going to come out and protect themselves from those hard-line views" of Jalili. "That's what next Friday is going to be about," he said.
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