Massoud Pezeshkianreformist and opponent of the ultra-conservatives, is the new president of iranThis is the result of the second round of the last presidential elections, called following the death of Ebrahim Raïssi, the former ultra-conservative president in office, who died on May 19, 2024 in a plane crash. This is an unexpected electoral result, desired by the same young people who boycotted the previous legislative elections. to protest against the theocratic regime. Faresthe J. (Iranian journalist whose name we are omitting to protect her security) gave an exclusive interview to Buonenotizie.itin which he explains to us why this event represents hope for his country.
Who is the new president of Iran and the significance of his election
To understand the significance of Pezeshkian’s election, one must consider that voting in Iran cannot be defined as democratic. To run for president, one must obtain the approval of the Guardian Council, a body composed of elements close to the ultra-conservatives and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Massoud Pezeshkian, for his part, is a doctor and former health minister who supports the need for a partial liberalization of the regime. In particular, He is in favour of improving relations with the West and opening up to foreign investment.to get Iran out of the current economic crisis.
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Faresthe J., a journalist in Tehran and daughter of democratic intellectuals, says this about her figure: “The new Iranian president is a man of the people, works in the medical field and keeps his distance from religious ideas.. Of course, his election does not imply a radical change: Iran remains a Shiite republic and all the most important decisions are made by the Supreme Leader. However, Pezeshkian's election shows that Iran wants to change its geopolitical role. Also, Iranians dream of democracy, and Iran's new president has been chosen to bring the country a step closer to that goal.».
The strong signal of popular participation
The most interesting data from the last presidential elections in Iran concerns the turnout. If in the first round it was rather low, in the second round it reached 50%, that is, 10 percentage points more. It is therefore obvious that Several voters who abstained in the first round wanted to avoid the victory of the ultraconservative candidate Said Jalili. The latter represented the most extreme and isolationist positions present in Iranian politics and the fact that his challenger was rewarded with 53.3% of the vote is a clear signal sent by the people.
“Elections for Iran's new president – explains Faresthe J. – They were the symbol of the desire for change. In the last parliamentary elections, the percentage of those who voted was the lowest ever recorded in Iran. During this last period, the tension in the streets of Tehran has been high. Young people, who had initially rebelled against the theocracy by not voting, responded in droves. give their vote to a reformist candidate.”
The new Iranian president's stance on women
One of the major issues of this last election campaign in Iran was the law that requires women to wearhijab (the Islamic veil) in public places. In addition, the echoes of the 2022 protests, generated following the death of Mahsa Aminiarrested precisely because she was not wearing the veil correctly. Although he has no intention of repealing this law (he has yet to respond to the Supreme Leader), Pezeshkian explicitly criticized its violent application.
Thus, by electing a critical figure of the “moral police” to the presidency, Iranians have expressed a clear aspiration: that of live in a truly democratic nation and in which religious faith is no longer imposed by force.
