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Masoud Pezeshkian’s victory in Iran’s presidential election, with about 54 percent of the vote in the second round, has boosted the hopes of reformists in Iran after years of conservative and hardline conservative dominance in the presidency.
Pezeshkian, who is known for his openness to the West, stressed in his first statement since his victory was announced that he would “extend a hand of friendship to everyone.”
“We will extend a hand of friendship to everyone, we are all the people of this country. We must seek help from everyone for the country’s progress,” Bezkechian told state television.
Who is Masoud Pezeshkian who managed to defeat his rival candidates?
His upbringing and education
Masoud Pezeshkian was born in 1953 in Mahabad, West Azerbaijan Province, northwestern Iran, to an Iranian father of Azeri origin and a Kurdish mother.
He completed his primary education in his hometown of Mahabad and then went to Urmia and obtained a diploma in food industries from Urmia Agricultural College. In 1973, after obtaining his degree, he moved to Zabol in Sistan and Baluchestan province to perform his compulsory military service. During that period, he was interested in studying medicine.
He returned to his city after completing his military service and enrolled in the Faculty of Medicine, graduating with a major in general medicine. In 1985, Pezeshkian completed the general practitioner course and began teaching at the Faculty of Medicine.
He continued his education after the end of the Iran-Iraq war, in which he participated as a fighter and a doctor, and specialized in general surgery at Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. In 1993, he obtained a subspecialty in cardiac surgery from Iran University of Medical Sciences. He worked at Shahid Madani Heart Hospital in Tabriz.
He later became the president of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, a position he held for five years.
In 1993, Bezeshkian lost his wife and one of his children in a car accident. He never remarried and raised his three children – two boys and a girl – alone.
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What positions did he hold?
Pezeshkian served as Minister of Health and Medical Education in Mohammad Khatami’s first government and later replaced Mohammad Farhadi in the second reformist government.
He was a member of the Iranian Shura Council for five terms and once served as deputy speaker of parliament.
Two years after assuming the position of minister, the Shura Council dismissed Pezeshkian over appointments, problems with medicines, medical tariffs and foreign trips.
After two years away from government positions during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s presidency, Pezeshkian ran for parliament from Tabriz in 2007 and won the election, and he won again for four terms.
Pezeshkian registered for the presidential election on the last day of the 2013 elections, but later withdrew due to the registration of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. He also registered for the 2021 presidential election, but the Guardian Council did not approve his qualifications. However, his qualifications were approved for the recent elections held after the death of Ebrahim Raisi.
The Reformist Front had previously nominated Abbas Akhoundi, Masoud Pezeshkian and Eshaq Jahangiri as acceptable candidates for the presidential election, but the Guardian Council disqualified the other two, keeping Pezeshkian.
His election promises
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Masoud Pezeshkian’s campaign promises focused on social justice, balanced development and structural reforms.
He pledged to create a transparent economic system, fight corruption, and promote economic growth.
It is believed that by reforming economic structures and creating an investment-friendly environment, jobs can be created and unemployment reduced.
In foreign policy, Pezeshkian promised to reduce international tensions and restore active diplomacy and constructive engagement with the world.
His conservative rivals argue that he aims to continue the policies of Hassan Rouhani’s administration – which they see as a failure.
Pezeshkian also promised to reform the health system, improve the quality of medical services, and reduce treatment costs. He emphasized improving educational conditions and increasing the quality of schools and universities.
“I will do my best to fix the ineffective filtering system and bring back thousands of companies active in cyberspace that employ millions of Iranians to the economic cycle,” he said.
Bazishkian highlighted environmental issues, pledging to implement comprehensive programs for environmental protection and sustainable development.
He also called for women to play active and equal roles in all social, economic and political spheres.
He also promised to ease restrictions on the Internet and to include ethnic minorities in his government.
His reformist positions
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After the controversial 2009 presidential election, which was met with a violent and bloody government crackdown on protesters, the outspoken Pezeshkian was highly critical of the government’s handling of the protests, drawing a backlash from conservative parliamentarians.
His speech on the government’s treatment of protesters briefly disrupted the parliament session. In his speech, he said: “When you can avoid harsh intervention, do not strike. Do not say I am the leader, and if anyone raises his voice, I will crush him.”
He also criticised the authorities’ handling of the death of the young Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini while in police custody on charges of violating Islamic dress codes, and called for the formation of an investigation team to uncover the circumstances of her death.
Regarding dealing with those who do not adhere to the laws of compulsory hijab, he commented, saying: “We have not been able to guide them until this age despite spending a lot on religious centers, so do we think we can reform them with these methods?”
However, in his speech to the Reform Front, Pezeshkian described himself as a reformist conservative and said: “I am a conservative, and these are the principles for which we want reform.”
In his last election campaign, he maintained his critical stance on the imposition of compulsory hijab laws in public places, saying: “We oppose any violent and inhumane behavior towards anyone, especially our sisters and daughters, and we will not allow such acts to happen.”
Regarding the Iranian nuclear file, Pezeshkian called for reviving the agreement with Western powers that sought to restrict Tehran’s nuclear activity in exchange for easing sanctions imposed on Iran and removing it from international isolation.
Notably, Mohammad Javad Zarif, the former Iranian foreign minister who helped secure the 2015 nuclear deal, was involved in promoting Pezeshkian.
“If we can lift the sanctions, people will have an easier life, while continuing the sanctions means making people’s lives miserable,” Pezeshkian said in a television interview.
What powers does he have?
The president is the highest-ranking elected official and is second only to the supreme leader, who holds real power in Iran.
Pezeshkian will be tasked with implementing state policy outlined by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
The president is responsible for managing the day-to-day affairs of government and has significant influence over domestic policy and foreign affairs.
But its powers are considered relatively limited – especially in matters related to security.
The Ministry of Interior, which reports to the president, runs the national police. However, the police chief is appointed by the Supreme Leader and reports directly to him.
The same applies to the commander of the Revolutionary Guards, which includes the volunteer forces known as the Basij.
The president’s powers can be checked by parliament, which can introduce new laws.
In contrast, the Guardian Council, which includes close allies of the Supreme Leader, is responsible for approving new laws and can reject them.
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