Second Round to Decide the Race in Iranian Elections

The Iranian Ministry of Interior announced that there will be a second round of early presidential elections next Friday, between candidates Masoud Bezashkian and Saeed Jalili who topped the results. According to the official results announced by the Ministry of Interior, the reformist candidate Masoud Bezashkian came in first, securing more than 10 million and 415 thousand votes so far, followed by the conservative candidate Saeed Jalili who received 9.5 million votes. Tasnim news agency reported that the voter turnout for the elections was 40%, and preliminary forecasts indicate a move towards a second round. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf received 2 million 676 thousand votes, while Mostafa Pour Mohammadi garnered 158 thousand 314 votes.