Masoud Pezeshkian has been elected president of Iran, defeating ultra-conservative Saeed Jalili in the second round of the presidential election, the Interior Ministry in Tehran announced.
He received 16,384,403 votes, while his opponent received only 13,538,179. The turnout in the second round of the presidential elections was only 49.8%, writes Greek edition of CNN.
Iran's new president has fulfilled the hopes of millions of Iranians seeking fewer restrictions on social freedoms and a more pragmatic foreign policy. Having defeated hardliner Saeed Jalili, Masoud Pezeshkian is likely to become a political figure welcomed by world powers, who hope he will seek a peaceful de-escalation of tensions between Iran and the West over Tehran's rapidly expanding nuclear program.
The new president's base is expected to be made up of urban middle-class and young voters who have been frustrated for years by security forces' repression of any public dissent.
The 69-year-old cardiac surgeon has promised to promote a pragmatic foreign policy, ease tensions over stalled talks with major powers to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and improve Iranian society's outlook on social liberalization and political pluralism.
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