Masoud Pezeshkian, a relatively moderate member of Iran’s parliament, was declared Iran’s next president after decisively defeating his hardline conservative rival in the second round of presidential elections on Friday.
The 69-year-old will replace Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash last month.
Pezeshkian’s mostly young supporters took to the streets of the capital Tehran and other cities to celebrate even before the final results were announced, singing, dancing and waving his campaign’s signature green flags.
He gave hope to some of the country’s younger generation at a time when many were feeling gloomy about their futures. Some even plan to leave the country in search of a better life elsewhere.
He has represented the city of Tabriz in the Iranian parliament since 2008 and previously served as the country’s health minister.
In the 1990s, he lost his wife and a child in a car accident. He never remarried and raised three other children – two sons and a daughter – on his own.
His victory disrupted the plans of Islamist hard-liners who hoped to appoint another conservative to replace Raisi and control all levers of power in Iran alongside Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
At a polling station in Tehran, Fatmeh, 48, told AFP she voted for the moderate because his “priorities include the rights of women and young people”.
Afalin, 37, who owns a beauty salon in Isfahan, told Reuters: “I know Pezeshkian will be a lame duck president, but he is still better than the hardliners.”
Many voters boycotted last week’s first round of voting, angry at domestic repression and international confrontation that has led Iran to tighten sanctions and widen poverty.
They are also frustrated by the lack of choice in the election – of the six candidates allowed to run, five are hardline Islamists.
People are desperate – Ayatollah Khamenei has the final say on government policy – and there is little chance of real change.
But in Friday’s runoff, some appeared to have changed their minds and came to the polls, with many tactically voting for Mr. Pezeshkian to prevent Mr. Jalili from winning.
He would have reiterated many of the policies that have caused domestic and international discontent, such as Iran’s controversial policies moral police patrol.
Jalili took an anti-Western stance during the campaign and criticized the 2015 deal to curb Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for easing sanctions. Voters fear that if he wins, his presidency could anger the United States and its regional allies and worsen Iran’s economic situation.
In contrast, Pezeshkian called for “constructive relations” with Western countries and the restoration of the nuclear deal to “bring Iran out of isolation.” He said Iran’s economy cannot function under the severe sanctions currently imposed on it.
Mr Jalili’s victory would also mark a shift towards potentially tougher domestic policies, tightening requirements for women to wear headscarves.
Mr Pezeshkian opposes the use of force to enforce hijab rules – a major issue in the past few years.
He had previously lamented Death in police custody Mahsa Amini is a young woman arrested on suspicion of breaking the law. Her death sparked massive nationwide protests the likes of which the country had never seen.
The president-elect is expected to take power within days to fill the government void left by Lacey’s sudden death.
In addition to pushing for a return to the nuclear deal and an easing of sanctions, Pezeshkian has pledged to get Iran into international banking conventions. Conservatives have been unwilling to do so, depriving Iran of normal banking relations with other countries.
He also said he would roll back Iran’s widespread online censorship.
But it’s unclear how much political freedom he will be given to bring about meaningful change.
