Iran presidential election 2024 Highlights: Run-off election to take place next week after no candidate secures majority

Iran will hold a run-off election next Friday (Jul 5) after no candidate managed to secure the 50 per cent majority needed, said the Interior Ministry. 

The number of votes each candidate has managed to garner, as per official figures: 

Massoud Pezeshkian: 10.4 million

Saeed Jalili: 9.47 million

Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf: 3.38 million

Mostafa Pourmohammadi: 206,397

Iranians began voting in the country's snap presidential polls on Friday (June 28), over a month after the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash last month. 

Ahead of the voting, some Iranian citizens raised concerns about the state of country's economy which is still reeling under US sanctions despite Tehran's bettering financial partnerships with Moscow, Central Asian capitals, Islamabad and New Delhi. 

Speaking from Tehran's Tajrish market, Mohammed Mehdi, a student, hoped for a better state of higher education after Friday's polls.

"The cost of education is my challenge as a student as it has gone rapidly up. The ease of access to higher education is what I expect which would eventually lead to a better economic situation," Mehdi told WION. 

Click here to read more...

According to Iranian state media reports, two security officials were killed in an attack targeting their vehicle that was carrying ballot boxes in southern Sistan and Baluchestan province. 

The attack by unidentified gunmen took place when the security personnel were returning the boxes to the local governor.

According to the latest figures by the Iranian Interior Ministry, the pro-reform candidate Masoud Pezeshkian is still in the lead with more than 19 million votes counted. 

The number of votes each candidate has managed to garner: 

Massoud Pezeshkian: 8.3 million

Saeed Jalili: 7.2 million

Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf: 2.7 million

Mostafa Pourmohammadi: 158,314

Spokeswoman of Pezeshkian campaign, Hamideh Zarabadi told WION that their priorities are economy and foreign policy and the changes that they bring if elected would be based on national and public interest. 

"According to our observations, the people are coming to the polling stations to have their vote casted, regardless of their mood, happy or sad, so they can come together to change the fate of Iran," Zarabadi told WION correspondent Anas. 

She added, "The rate of participation is good. We hope that the end of this election, we will have good news. I hope that Mr Pezeshkian will win and whatever the peoples expectations are, he will deliver on them. Our priority is economy and second is foreign policy." 

"The 7 point plan has to be implemented in 5years time, which has been there since a while and the Supreme Leader has endorsed it and it should be executed. If there are any problems in it, they can always be addressed and amended by the President."

She also said that they are "hopeful" and "eagerly await a good decision at the end of the election." 

"I believe that the people have shown that casting their vote is the appropriate way to show displeasure and express their anger," said Zarabadi. 

"Changes if elected, would be based in national and public interest, both," she added. 

The vote counting is underway in Iran’s presidential election, on Saturday (Jun 29) with pro-reform candidate Masoud Pezeshkian leading with 5,955,781 votes, according to the latest figures. 

Hard-liner Saeed Jalili has been following him with 5,560,321 votes, as per the latest official figures released by the Interior Ministry.

Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf has received 1,891,385 votes, and Mostafa Pourmohammadi 111,967 votes with more than 14 million ballots counted so far.

Click here to read more...