Turnout in the first round of the election was the lowest in Iran's 45-year history.
LONDON — Runoff voting in Iran's presidential election began Friday, after none of the four candidates received more than 50 percent of the vote in the first round on June 28.
Reformist lawmaker Massoud Pezeshkian and conservative Saeed Jalili, a former Iranian nuclear negotiator, came out on top in the polls, but Pezeshkian's lead was not enough to secure a majority.
Iran's reformists and conservatives were once known as rivals on the Islamic Republic's political stage, each with different competing agendas to persuade people to vote for them by stoking emotions and encouraging high voter turnout.
But the first round of the election saw the lowest turnout in the theocratic regime's 45-year history, with official figures showing just 40% of eligible voters turning out, though even this figure is widely disputed by analysts who believe the actual turnout was much lower.
The turnout is seen as a disappointment for the Islamic Republic's leadership, which has repeatedly used election turnout as a key indicator to prove its legitimacy on the international stage and in diplomatic negotiations.
But even reformist candidate Pezeshkian, along with many activists, former and current political prisoners and families of victims of decades of Islamic Republic rule, have called for a boycott of the elections, arguing there are no fundamental differences between the two parties and that no change can be expected from either.
Some of Pezeshkian's comments have been highlighted by those advocating a boycott of the election, including his references to the death penalty and his record of implementing a mandatory hijab for women.
“If Jalili promises to execute me if he fails to achieve 8 percent growth in his government, I will withdraw from the elections,” Pezeshkian said in a recent televised debate.
The comments were criticised by social media users as “irresponsible” and “careless”, as well as by advocates who believe all forms of capital punishment should be banned, but he later posted them on his X account.
“The Iranian government has been working closely with the Iranian government to ensure that the country is able to continue to develop and sustain its nuclear program,” said the Defense Minister, who is also the country's top adviser.
The election was held after the death of the late President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash on May 19, and according to the country's constitution, when a president dies, a new president must be elected within 50 days.
