Pezeshkian, Jalili in fray as Iran heads to runoff vote

KABUL (Pajhwok): As no presidential wannabe could win 50 percent of votes, Iran will hold a runoff election on Friday, a media report said on Monday.

Iranians cast votes on Friday to elect a successor to President Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed along with several senior officials in a helicopter crash last month.

Reformist hopeful Massoud Pezeshkian and conservative politician Saeed Jalili are in a fierce electoral battle to win over reluctant and swing voters, according to IRNA.

On Sunday, Pezeshkian promised police reforms and access to the internet if he was elected as interim president in the July 5 runoff.

For his part, Jalili announced plans to address the main challenges facing Iranian businesspeople and merchants. He also vowed to resolve private sector issues.

On last Friday, of the 61.5 million eligible voters in Iran, only 40% turned out to cast their ballots - the fewest since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

PAN Monitor/mud