TEHRAN -- With Iran’s runoff election just days away, the two remaining presidential candidates are in a fierce battle to win over the critical pool of likely voters.
Both campaigns are pulling out all the stops to sway undecided voters and turn out their supporters in a high-stakes bid to win the high office.
In a statement posted on social media, Masoud Pezeshkian vowed that his administration would firmly oppose mandatory police patrols, internet filtering, and external pressures.
“I guarantee that the entire government will stand against forced patrols, the filtering and un-filtering game and external pressures in all meetings and with full force,” he wrote.
The message comes just days before the July 5 runoff election, where Pezeshkian, a former health minister and senior lawmaker, will face off former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili.
Meanwhile, Jalili made a campaign stop at the Tehran Bazaar on Sunday, where he highlighted his plans to address the main challenges facing Iranian businesses and merchants.
“Since 2018, we have held numerous meetings with various trade unions and business owners to discuss the obstacles they face,” he said. “We have identified 17 key problems and have developed plans to solve them.”
Jalili noted that his visit to the bustling market was aimed at hearing directly from the business community and ensuring that their concerns are reflected in his campaign platform.
The candidate emphasized that engaging with the private sector and addressing their needs would be a top priority for his administration.
The snap presidential election is headed to a runoff after none of the four candidates in the race managed to garner at least 50 percent of votes in the June 28 election.
This marks the second time in the history of the Islamic Republic of Iran that a runoff is required to decide who will be the next president of the country.
In the first round, Pezeshkian emerged as the frontrunner with 10.4 million votes, accounting for 43.5 percent of the total votes, according to data provided by Iran’s interior ministry.
Jalili garnered 9.4 million votes, representing 37.7 percent of the total vote count, meaning he will face Pezeshkian in the runoff.
Parliament speaker Muhammed Baqer Qalibaf received 3.4 million votes, equivalent to 14 percent of the total votes, placing him third after Pezeshkian and Jalili.
Mostafa Pourmuhammadi received 200,000 votes, accounting for 0.8 percent of the total vote count, as announced by the country’s interior ministry on Saturday.
Qalibaf’s third-place finish has been deemed significant, especially since he was seen as the favorite earlier in the campaign, even leading several pre-election opinion polls.
After the results were announced, Qalibaf bowed out gracefully and issued a statement urging his supporters to back Jalili in the runoff vote on Friday.
Jalili and Pezeshkian will face each other in two televised debates on Monday and Tuesday hosted by the national broadcaster IRIB, as well as other televised programs to win over voters.
The presence of Jalili and Pezeshkian in a runoff vote underscores the notable differences between the two candidates while reflecting the diversity of political positions within the Islamic Republic.
The beauty of the Islamic Republic lies in the fact that people from different walks of life and different political spectrums are able to run for the top executive office of the country.
Their electoral platforms and political visions are markedly different, including in the area of foreign policy, but their fundamental positions on issues of national interest remain the same.
This existence of two options that are so distinct and far apart within the political-economic spectrum challenges the fake Western narrative of a lack of real choices in the Islamic Republic.
This diversity of options, however, is not new. The Islamic Republic of Iran has had presidents from diverse political backgrounds and currents in the past, which shows the vibrancy of the country’s democracy, something not seen in the West.
It is evident that Jalili and Pezeshkian represent real, distinct, and independent options that reflect the diverse political visions upon which the Islamic Republic was built, without this being seen as a contradiction. So, whoever wins will be the win for the Islamic Republic and its diversity.