Reformist Masoud Pezeshkian creates history, wins Iran’s presidential election

Reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian has created history, The 69-year-old cardiac surgeon, on Saturday, won Iran’s runoff presidential election, besting hard-liner Saeed Jalili. Iran's newly elected president, Masoud Pezeshkian, a low-profile moderate, symbolises the hopes of millions yearning for greater social freedoms and a practical foreign policy. Pezeshkian triumphed over hardliner Saeed Jalili in the second-round presidential vote, a victory analysts believe will be welcomed by global powers eager for peaceful resolutions to ongoing tensions over Iran's nuclear program.

The 69-year-old cardiac surgeon has committed to fostering a pragmatic foreign policy, alleviating tensions surrounding the stalled negotiations to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement, and improving societal liberalisation and political diversity. Though his powers are limited by the clerical establishment led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Pezeshkian's presidency is expected to set a new tone for Iran's policy and possibly influence the selection of Khamenei's successor.

With 16.3 million votes to Jalili's 13.5 million, Pezeshkian won the election. Still, his moderate promises will face significant obstacles from Iran's hard-line political environment, the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, and Western concerns regarding Iran's uranium enrichment activities.