who is – The Time

Former Iranian Health Minister Masoud Pezeshkian, the only reformist candidate to run for president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, has won the second round of the presidential election, becoming the ninth president of the Shiite-majority Middle Eastern country, Iranian Election Commission spokesman Mohsen Eslami confirmed. “A total of 30,510,157 votes were counted. Of these, Masoud Pezeshkian received 16,384,403 votes and (ultraconservative candidate) Saeed Jalili received 13,538,179 votes,” Eslami told SNN news agency.

Masoud Pezeshkian won the run-off once morest the ultraconservative Saeed Jalili. During his campaign, he received the support of former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, the head of Iranian diplomacy during the presidency of Hassan Rohani. A cardiologist by training, Pezeshkian headed the Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, one of the main medical institutions in northern Iran. He was Health Minister in the government of Mohammad Khatami (2001-2005) and since 2008 has been elected to the Iranian Parliament in the northwestern city of Tabriz. Like his challenger, Jalili had previously run for president in 2013, but withdrew in favor of Hashemi Rafsanjani. In 2021, Pezeshkian’s candidacy was rejected by the Guardian Council, the body responsible for vetting and approving presidential contenders.

During his election campaign, Pezeshkian has shown himself inclined to appease diplomacy, even towards the West, despite criticizing the sanctions imposed on Iran that are an obstacle to the country’s economic growth. Unlike his rival Jalili, the former doctor is in favor of resuming a nuclear agreement based on the one concluded in 2015. In addition, Pezeshkian has criticized the management of the protests that broke out in September 2022 following the death in custody of the morality police of Jina Mahsa Amini. The reformist has also said he is in favor of women’s freedom of choice.