by Maryam Sinaiee at Iran International
Masoud Pezeshkian, the relatively moderate of the two finalists was declared the ninth president of Iran after securing 53.6 percent of the votes in the July 5 runoff against ultra hardliner Saeed Jalili with 44.3 percent.
Pezeshkian who considers himself an independent was backed by the Reform Front in the snap elections of June 28 that followed the death of hardliner President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash on May 19.
The pro-reform candidate secured over 7 million votes more than the first round and nearly 3 million votes more than his ultra-hardliner rival, according to official figures announced by the government.
The first round of the elections in which the turnout dropped to a record low of around 40 percent was widely boycotted by various political groups, activists, and disillusioned Iranians.
According to official figures,…
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