A little-known heart surgeon who campaigned on limited, closer ties with the West and some reforms to strict moral codes for women prevailed in Iran's run-off presidential vote, the country's interior ministry said Saturday.
Cautious reformer Masoud Pezeshkian, 69, defeated Saeed Jalili, 58, an ultraconservative ideologue and former nuclear negotiator, according to Iran's state TV, citing the ministry. Pezeshkian's victory represents a blow to conservative political factions in Iran. In recent years, moderate voices have been sidelined.
However, Pezeshkian was expected to have little immediate impact on the Islamic Republic's policies because Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 85, tightly controls all top domestic and foreign matters of state. But Iran's new president will likely be closely involved in selecting Khamenei's successor and because he runs the government day-to-day, he can influence the overall tone of Iran's domestic and foreign policy.
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