AFP, Tehran

Iran’s reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian yesterday won a runoff presidential election against ultraconservative Saeed Jalili, the interior ministry said.

Pezeshkian received more than 16 million votes and Jalili more than 13 million out of about 30 million votes cast, electoral authority spokesman Mohsen Eslami said, adding that voter turnout stood at 49.8 percent.

The number of spoiled ballots was reported to be over 600,000.

Pezeshkian said the vote was the start of a “partnership” with the Iranian people.

“The difficult path ahead will not be smooth except with your companionship, empathy, and trust. I extend my hand to you,” Pezeshkian said in a post on social media platform X, after on Tuesday saying he would “extend the hand of friendship to everyone” if he won.

The election, called early after the death of ultraconservative president Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash, followed a first round marked by a historically low turnout last week.

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who wields ultimate authority, had called for a higher turnout

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