DAUNTING TASK AHEAD FOR IRAN'S REFORMIST PRESIDENT-ELECT

DAUNTING TASK AHEAD FOR IRAN'S REFORMIST PRESIDENT-ELECT

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At 49.8 percent, the polling percentage, too, was 10 points higher than in the first round, indicating people's yearning for a moderate regime. The turnout in the first phase included as many as 10 lakh invalid votes, often seen by analysts as an indication of voter disillusionment. That Pezeshkian was allowed to contest in the first place-wannabe reformists were weeded out in the last presidential race in 2021-indicated Khamenei was aware of the national pulse and let it find expression as a safety valve, since the remote control was anyway in his hands. National unrest had peaked under the watch of hardliner Ebrahim Raisi, who had won in 2021. His dea