Iranians Head To Poll Amid Concerns Over Poor Voter Turnout

Iranian citizens have returned to the polls for a presidential run-off between centrist Masoud Pezeshkian and hardliner Saeed Jalili.

The election follows the death of former president Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in May and comes after neither candidate secured an outright majority on June 28, with Pezeshkian obtaining 42.5 per cent of the votes and Jalili 38.7 per cent.

The election is taking place amidst escalating regional tensions due to Israel’s war on Gaza, ongoing disputes with the West over Iran’s nuclear program, economic hardships due to crippling sanctions, and public disillusionment following deadly protests in 2022-2023.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who holds ultimate authority in Iran, cast his ballot early Friday morning and urged citizens to participate. “It’s a good day to participate in the electoral process,” Khamenei said, encouraging voters to choose the right candidate and make an extra effort to elect a president.

Only 40 per cent of Iran’s 61 million eligible voters participated in the first round, marking the lowest turnout since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar noted that while some polls suggested Pezeshkian might win, both sides are predicting victory, and turnout remains a significant concern.

Khamenei acknowledged that participation was “not as expected” in the first round but stressed that it was not an act “against the system.” The conservative parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf came in third place with 13.8 percent, while Muslim leader Mostafa Pourmohammadi received less than one per cent.

Originally scheduled for 2025, the election was brought forward following Raisi’s death. During two debates, the candidates discussed Iran’s economic issues, international relations, low voter turnout, and internet restrictions.

Pezeshkian, 69, criticized the current government’s management and called for “constructive relations” with the United States and European countries to end Iran’s isolation. On the other hand, Jalili, 58, with a substantial hardline support base, argued that Iran does not need the abandoned nuclear deal to progress. He described the 2015 agreement, which had imposed limits on Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief, as a violation of Iran’s “red lines.”

Jalili, a senior figure in Khamenei’s office and a representative in the Supreme National Security Council, has emphasized that regardless of the election outcome, Iran’s next president will follow state policies outlined by the supreme leader.