Iran Presidential Election: Voting is being held for the second phase of the presidential election in Iran today. Earlier, presidential elections were held in the country on May 28. No candidate got a majority in this.
Iran needs 50% of the vote to win a presidential election. In last week's election, Pazashkian received 42.5% of the vote, while Saeed Jalili received 38.8%.
None of these two candidates could achieve 50% marks. Therefore, in today's election, the contest is between these two candidates who have got the highest number of votes.
Tabriz MP Masoud Pazashkian is considered the most liberal leader. According to Iranian media Iran Wire, people see Pazashkian as a reformist. He is considered close to former President Hassan Rouhani.
Pazaskiyan is a former surgeon and holds the post of Health Minister. She has opposed the hijab in debates several times. She says that no one has the right to moral policing.
Pazashkian first became an MLA from Tabriz in 2006. He considers America his enemy. In 2011, he filed nomination for the presidency, but later withdrew his candidacy.
Saeed Jalili has been the former secretary of the National Security Commission. He has been a negotiator in the nuclear weapons talks between Western countries and Iran. His stance on nuclear weapons is aggressive. He is considered to be from the radical camp and is very close to Ayatollah Khamenei. Such a claim for the post of President is very strong.