Anti-Hijab Masoud Pezeshkian becomes Iran’s new President

• Radical Jalili defeated

• Polls conducted due to former President Raisi’s accidental death in May 2024

Iran’s new President Massoud Prajashqiyan

Tehran (Iran) – Masoud Pezeshkian has been elected as the ninth President of Iran. He defeated the radical leader Saeed Jalili by more than 30 lakh votes. Pezeshkian got 16.4 million votes against Jalili’s 13.6 million votes. There was about 50% turnout for the presidential election. Iran’s Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had appealed people for maximum voting. Pezeshkian is known in Iran as a leader who opposes ‘hijab (head scarf used by Muslim women)’.

On 19^thMay 2024, Iran’s former President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash. Consequently, elections were declared in Iran. The earlier elections were held in February 2024, re-electing Raisi as the President for another term.

Present politics in Iran

Corruption, restraints imposed by the Western countries, freedom of press, preventing migration, etc. were the main issues discussed during the present election. Many voters were concerned about the anti-Hijab movement staged in 2022 and subsequent suppression by the Government. ‘Hijab’ had become a political weapon in Iran. After the Islamic revolution of 1979, ‘Hijab’ law was implemented in Iran though women have been opposing it in different ways. More than 50% of the 61 million population of Iran comprises of women.

Who is Masoud Pezeshkian ?

Masoud Pezeshkian is a member of Iranian Parliament representing Tabriz. He is known to be the most patient leader and considered to be close to the former Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. He is a heart surgeon and has served as the Health Minister of Iran. He has been opposing ‘Hijab’. Pezeshkian was elected as a MP from Tabriz for the first time in 2006. He considers the USA as an enemy of Iran.

Iran has been in the black list of ‘Financial Action Task Force’ since 2019; therefore, no financial aid is extended to Iran by the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and Asian Development Bank etc. ‘Financial Action Task Force’ is an intergovernmental organisation that takes action against countries which support terrorist financing.