This was an upset, by Iranian standards, though all things are relative. Pezeshkian is a reformist and his election is a surprise.
Iran has successfully but brutally crushed a popular uprising and many had expected his hardline rival to prevail.
The presidency has control of foreign policy and some domestic matters so many expect a shift in Iran’s diplomatic outlook now – perhaps a more conciliatory tone towards the West.
Read more: Reformist Masoud Pezeshkian elected Iran’s new president
Image: Pezeshkian greeted by his supporters as he arrives to vote on Friday. Pic: AP
But any immediate race back to nuclear negotiations is unlikely and much depends on whether Trump returns to the White House.
Masoud Pezeshkian has promised a softening on the hijab or headscarf policy, but has expressed a willingness to bend to the will of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.
Image: Pezeshkian clenches his fist after casting his vote. Pic: AP
Image: Men and women line up to vote in the run-off presidential election on Friday. Pic: Reuters
If there is change on that front, expect it to be incremental and not sudden.
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Elections in Iran are not free or fair, the government strictly controls who can run. The fact Khamenei tolerated Pezeshkian’s participation and victory hints at a sense of pragmatism from Iran’s ultimate ruler.
Khamenei knew a miserably low turnout would be another nail in the already well-hammered coffin of his regime’s legitimacy.
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A slightly more “real” contest, especially in its second round, lifted numbers voting as people sensed a chance to return a reformist.
Khamenei also knows the demand for change may have been brutally crushed, but its strength of spirit remains. His government must adapt to that. A “reformist” president might ease some of the pressure.
Read more:Ebrahim Raisi: Who was hardliner Iranian president?Iranian protesters express ‘joy’ over death of President Raisi
Image: Iranian voters take part in the election. Pic: Reuters
Iran’s hardliners will hope they can now neutralise the reformist agenda of the new president from within government. He faces a huge struggle now in a system where he has only limited power.
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But there are risks for the elderly ailing Khamenei and the corrupt old men who form his clerical elite. Pezeshkian’s victory could reignite the demand for change in a way they cannot control.
The struggle for Iran’s future may have just opened a new chapter.
Source : Sky News
