Moderate Masoud Pezeshkian elected as the new President of Iran
Person in News
5 min read
Reformist and moderate leader Masoud Pezeshkian has been elected as Iran's new president. The Interior Ministry of Iran declared him the winner of the presidential run-off against rival Saeed Jalili on 6 July 2024. Saeed Jalili conceded his defeat and congratulated Masoud Pezeshkian for his electoral victory.
The presidential election was necessitated in Iran after the death of President Ebrahim Raisi, foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, in a helicopter crash on 19 May 2024.
Presidential Election in Iran
According to the Iranian constitution, the people elect the president through universal adult suffrage. Only a citizen of Iran born in Iran can contest the presidential election.
The winning candidate has to secure more than 50 per cent of the valid votes cast.
The Iranian presidential election was held on 28 June 2024, and four candidates contested the poll. However, only 40 per cent of the eligible 61 million voters cast their ballot, the lowest voting percentage in the Iranian Presidential election since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
None of the candidates was able to secure the necessary majority votes in the June election. Masoud Pezeshkian received about 42.5 per cent of the votes, and Jalili received 38.7 per cent.
A run-off presidential election was held on 5 July 2024 to decide the winner.
In the run-off presidential election, Masoud Pezeshkian secured 53.7 per cent of the votes, and Jalili got 44.3 per cent.
The term of the Iranian President is four years, and he is eligible for re-election.
About Masoud Pezeshkian
69-year-old Masoud Pezeshkian belongs to an ethnically mixed family. His father is of Azeri descent, and his mother is Kurdish. Persian, Iran's national language, isn’t his mother tongue.
Masoud Pezeshkian is a heart surgeon by profession and has been a member of the Iranian parliament since 2008.
The Iranian parliament is called the Islamic Consultative Assembly (Majles-e Shūrā-ye Eslāmī), and it is known simply as the Majles.
He has also been the deputy speaker of the parliament.
He has also been the health minister in the previous government.
About the Islamic Republic of Iran
The modern country of Iran was earlier known as Persia.
It is an ancient civilisation situated in southwestern Asia. Politically, it is included in West Asia or the Middle East.
Iran was ruled by the Pahlavi dynasty, which was overthrown in an Islamic revolution led by Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979.
The revolution established the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Iran is an Islamic country, but the majority of its population are Shia muslims.
Iran considers itself the leader of the muslims in the world, especially the Shia sect.
Supreme Leader: Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei
President: Masoud Pezeshkian
Capital: Tehran
Currency: Iranian Rial.
Read About- Ebrahim Raisi killed in a crash, Mokhber turn acting Iranian President.
