Tehran [Iran]: Voting is underway in Iran, as the country gears up to elect the successor of Ebrahim Raisi in the Presidential runoff taking place on Friday, according to Al Jazeera.
This runoff comes as Iran registered a low voter turnout in the first round, with 39.92 per cent confirmed by the Interior Ministry. It was the lowest in any major election since Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has also urged the people of Iran to vote, pointing out that it will become the "deciding round" to elect Iran's president by tomorrow, reported Al Jazeera.
The final battle is now between a reformist, Masoud Pezeshkian, and a hardline Conservative, Saeed Jalili.
Hardliners and conservatives are typically more critical of Western relations and of opening up Iran to outside influence.
Therefore, Pezeshkian is anticipated to reach out to the West more to try and lift sanctions against Iran, whereas Jalili as president, would be expected to prioritize internal capabilities, and regional relations, and bolster partnerships with Russia and China even further.
Pezeshkian, 69, was a deputy speaker from 2016 to 2020 and has been a member of parliament since 2008 representing Tabriz. In the early 2000s, the heart surgeon served as former President Mohammad Khatami's health minister.
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