Pezeshkian from Azerbaijan leads in Iranian Presidential elections

In the early Presidential elections in Iran, according to the results of counting 12 million votes, ex-MP Masoud Pezeshkian, who is a candidate from the reform wing, is in the lead, representative of the country's election headquarters Mohsen Eslami said on the IRIB TV channel.

According to the results of processing ballots in 32, 000 polling stations, 5 million voters voted for Pezeshkian, and 4.875 million for the representative of the spiritual leader of Iran in the Supreme National Security Council of the Republic, Saeed Jalili, who is a candidate from the conservative wing.

Recall that early elections in Iran are being held in connection with the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash on May 19.

Masoud Pezeshkian (born September 29, 1954, in Mehabad, West Azerbaijan) is an Iranian cardiac surgeon and reform politician who currently represents Tabriz, Osku and Azarshahr constituencies in the Iranian Parliament. Previously, he served as the first Deputy Speaker of Parliament from 2016 to 2020, and from 2001 to 2005 was the Minister of Health and Medical Education in the government of Mohammad Khatami. He ran in the 2013 Presidential election, but withdrew his candidacy. He ran again in the 2021 elections, but his candidacy was rejected. By the early Presidential elections of 2024, Pezeshkian had qualified and was allowed to participate. Former Iranian Health Minister Masoud Pezeshkian took the lead, beating the representative of the spiritual leader in the Security Council of the Republic, Said Jalili, after counting more than 14 million votes in the presidential elections, Tasnim reported on June 29 in its Telegram channel, citing data from the election commission.

Note that there are 61 million voters in the country. After processing more than 14 million ballots, Pezeshkian gets almost 6 million votes, and Jalili — over 5.5 million. To win, a Presidential candidate needs to get more than 50% of the votes. If this does not happen, the second round of Presidential elections will be held on July 5, in which the two candidates with the most votes will take part.