“Voting ends in Iran’s snap presidential election,” AA, 6-29-24.
“Hard-liner Saeed Jalili leads in early Iran presidential election results: Report,” The Indian Express, 6-29-24.
“Iran’s presidential election heads to a runoff after reformist wins most votes,” CNN, 6-29-24. Remember, reformists are almost identical to conservatives in beliefs. But they advocate moderation in communication and relationships, like former Pres. Rouhani. The run-off will be next Friday. “A reformist candidate won the most votes in the first round of Iran’s presidential election and will face a conservative hardliner in a run-off next week. None of the four candidates secured more than 50% of the vote in Friday’s election, prompting a second round on July 5. The election saw the lowest voter turnout for a presidential election since the Islamic Republic was established in 1979. Reformist lawmaker Masoud Pezeshkian and ultraconservative former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, who received the most votes, will face off in the runoff, according to Mohsen Eslami, the spokesperson for the election committee. Pezeshkian led with 42.5% of the votes, followed by Jalili with 38.6%, according to the state news agency IRNA. Out of 60 million eligible voters, 24 million cast their ballots, resulting in a 40% turnout, Eslami said.
The percentage voting is also reported by NBC now, just 40%. “Iran to hold run-off election between reformist Pezeshkian and hard-liner Jalili,” NBC, 6-29-24. “After counting over 24.5 million votes, Pezeshkian had 10.41 million while Jalili held 9.47 million. The historically low turnout of 39.96 percent is itself a gauge of the Iranian electorates’ waning support of its Shiite theocracy after years of economic turmoil and mass protests. Another candidate, hard-line parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, had some 3.38 million votes. Shiite cleric Mostafa Pourmohammadi had just over 206,000 votes.”
Perhaps it is appropriate that the story of Iran’s nuclear program gets headlines, continually, even as the selection of a new president is processed. “Iran Installs Half of Planned New Centrifuges at Fordow, IAEA Report Says,” Haaretz, Reuters, 6-29-24. “Iran has installed half the advanced uranium-enriching machines it said earlier this month it would quickly add to its Fordow site dug into a mountain, but has not yet brought them online, the UN nuclear watchdog said in a report seen by Reuters. Iran informed the International Atomic Energy Agency two weeks ago it would rapidly expand its enrichment capacity at Fordow by adding eight cascades, or clusters, of IR-6 centrifuges at Fordow within three to four weeks.”
“Financial Watchdog Keeps Iran on Global Blacklist,” Iran International, 6-29-24.
“Iran’s supreme leader is terrified of people power,” Economist, 6-29-24.
“How Iran is growing rich despite its status as a pariah nation,” NYPost, 6-29-24.
“Iran presidential candidate Jalili is fiercely loyal to Khamenei,” Reuters, 6-29-24.
“Iran heads to presidential run-off on July 5 amid record low turnout,” Al Jazeera, 6-29-24. “Only 40 percent of more than 61 million eligible Iranians voted, the Ministry of Interior said on Saturday, a new low in presidential elections since the country’s 1979 revolution.”
“Voter Turnout Plummets Across Iran’s Restive Provinces,” Iran International, 6-29-24.