Iran News Presidential Elections 2024

[Kartal1]

Iran election: Private Republican Guard polling shows Pezeshkian clear favourite​

Polling suggests reformist presidential candidate has an excellent chance of winning in a runoff

Women attend a campaign rally for reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian at Afrasiabi Stadium in Tehran on 23 June (Atta Kenare/AFP)

By MEE correspondent in Tehran
Published date: 27 June 2024 17:15 BST | Last update: 17 hours 8 mins ago

Private Republican Guard polling shows reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian in the clear lead in Iran’s presidential election, which takes place on Friday.

The poll, which is not public but has been seen by Middle East Eye, predicts Pezeshkian taking 37 percent of the vote. That would make him favourite to win in a runoff against the second-placed candidate.

Out of the five candidates running in the election, called after the sudden death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash last month, Pezeshkian is the only person from the reformist camp. All the others are considered conservatives.

The most prominent conservative candidates, Saeed Jalili and Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, are eating away at each other’s support and refusing to withdraw, despite the pleas of senior conservatives seeking a unity candidate.

This division has persisted even as the two other conservative candidates, Ali Reza Zakani and Amir Hossein Qaazi Zadeh, dropped out of the race, potentially signalling strategic manoeuvring within the conservative camp.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is one of the most powerful bodies in Iran, with influence over several aspects of society, the military and statecraft. It is dominated by principlist conservatives, often known as hardliners.

However, its polling suggests Pezeshkian is on course to win at least the first round of the election. If no candidate obtains more than 50 percent of the vote, a second round will be held on 5 July.

The Republican Guard poll chimes with public polls released by other organisations.

A poll conducted by Ferdowsi University in Mashhad shows Pezeshkian with 42.3 percent of the vote.

Qalibaf, who is a former Republican Guard commander and current speaker of parliament, is on 21.3 percent. Meanwhile, ex-nuclear negotiator Jalili is projected to take 21 percent.

The data suggests Pezeshkian appeals to a broader segment of the electorate than just reformist-leaning Iranians.

In hypothetical runoff scenarios, he appears poised for victory. If he and Jalili advance to a runoff, Pezeshkian is forecast to win with 65.5 percent of the vote, compared to Jalili's 34.5 percent. Similarly, if Pezeshkian faces Qalibaf, he would secure 59.5 percent, with Qalibaf receiving 40.5 percent.

These projections underscore Pezeshkian's robust electoral standing and the difficulties his conservative opponents face in closing the gap.

The Ferdowsi University poll also indicates that voter turnout is expected to be around 59.3 percent, reflecting a moderate level of engagement from the electorate. In 2021, all significant challengers to Raisi were barred from standing, almost guaranteeing his victory. In response, just 48 percent of eligible voters cast their ballots.

Another poll conducted by the Porshesh Institute, a polling group closely aligned with reformist interests, suggests a voter turnout ranging from 56 to 58 percent. This survey shows Pezeshkian leading with 37.5 percent of the vote, followed by Jalili at 27 percent and Qalibaf on 20.8 percent.

Private Republican Guard polling shows Pezeshkian clear favourite in Iran election

Polling suggests reformist presidential candidate has an excellent chance of winning in a runoff

www.middleeasteye.net

 

[Iskander]

Iran's Interior Ministry announced the results.
14 million
70,462 thousand votes have been counted for the seventh time since the announcement of official statistics, which are as follows:

Masoud Pezeshkian 5 million 955 thousand 781

Said Jalili 5 million 603 thousand 321

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf 1 million 891 thousand 385

Mostafa Pourmohammadi 119 thousand 67

Of the total number of candidate votes, invalid votes amounted to 551,880.

According to these statistics, no candidate received more than 50% of the vote in the first round of elections, and the presidential election will be extended to a second round.


The candidate of Azerbaijani origin, Masud Pezeshkian, is ahead of all the contenders.

 

[Iskander]

The leader of the Iranian presidential race, Masoud Pezeshkian, is the only
reform candidate running for president of Iran

He is a prominent reformist, former Minister of Health in the government of Mohammad Khatami (2001-2005) and has represented Tabriz in the Iranian parliament since 2008.

A cardiologist by training, Pezeshkian also previously headed the Tabriz University of Medical Sciences.

Dr. Pezeshkian turned out to be an interesting person. To the journalist’s question: “Are you Kurdish or Turkish?” Pezeshkian replied: “I was born in Azerbaijan, my parents are Azerbaijanis. And I even forbade my children to speak Farsi at home; we always spoke Azerbaijani.” (haqqin.az)

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1807433617196425621

 

[Kartal1]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1809368779710714027

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1809369078844227704

 

[Iskander]

In Iran, Azerbaijani Dr. Masoud Pezishkiyan won the election of a new president.

Songs in the Azerbaijani language are heard on the streets of Tabriz.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1809378386554573130

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev sent a congratulatory letter to the newly elected President of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian and invited him to visit Azerbaijan, the official website of the head of state reports.

 

[Hari Sud]

It is a tough time in the American political process.

Three earth-shattering events have occurred in U.S. politics over the past three weeks. First, Joe Biden, who is old, senile, and lacks concentration, was persuaded to withdraw from the presidential elections. Second, a gunman took a shot at opposition candidate Donald Trump but missed by a hair, resulting in a sympathy wave for him. Third, Joe Biden nominated his vice president, Kamala Harris, to contest in his place in the upcoming elections, which are only 100 days away.

These events should not concern the rest of the world, but they do. They have a significant bearing on who gets elected to the top U.S. job. If Harris makes it to the White House, her administration will likely be similar to Biden's. There may be shifts in internal priorities such as abortion rights, immigration, and border security. Although the economy should be central to all policies, Harris has not yet articulated her stance on it. The wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, which started under Biden's stewardship, may continue but could cease to be the focus of U.S. foreign policy. Again, Harris has yet to speak her mind on these issues.

If Donald Trump makes it to the White House again, the focus will likely shift to cutting Chinese economic power by enacting tariff walls. The wars in Ukraine and the Middle East may come to an end, with Trump forcing NATO and Israel to pay for their own military and defense. He will also likely demand the same from Taiwan. The belligerent Chinese will take full note of the changed environment, with restrictions on earning dollars to build their military through exports to the U.S. and Europe, and will be forced to reorient their aggressive policies in Asia and the Pacific. Estranged friends like India may find a better understanding of their issues in the White House.

No matter how you look at it, the last four years have been terrible worldwide. Two unnecessary wars, a belligerent China, a sudden right swing of politics in Europe, uncontrolled immigration at the U.S. southern border, and high interest rates are issues that need to be addressed for peace in the world. All these affect the World peace.