Jalili congratulates Pezeshkian on Iran election victory
Saeed Jalili has congratulated his rival Masoud Pezeshkian over his victory in Iran's presidential runoff election, saying the transparent elections once again showed the stability and democratic nature of the Islamic Republic.
Jalili, Iran’s former top nuclear negotiator and head of the country’s top security body, made the remarks in a message on Saturday, a day after Pezeshkian was being declared winner of the runoff vote.
“I would like to congratulate Dr. Pezeshkian who succeeded in winning the votes of the majority of the people, and as in the past, I consider it my duty to help the government to overcome problems and reach the desired point of the country's development,” Jalili said.
"Now, it is time for all people in the country to assist the president-elect to develop the country's status," he added.
Jalili also thanked the nearly 14 million people who voted for him, stressing that he will do his best to help correct the errors and fix the defects in the current processes by using the scientific, professional and elites’ capacities.
Now is the time that every Iranian plays their glorious role with empathy and national unity in order to realize the great ideals of the Islamic Revolution, he said.
Pezeshkian received more than 16 million votes against Jalili with more than 13 million out of over 30 million votes cast.
The runoff on Friday followed a June 28 ballot in a snap election to find a successor to President Ebrahim Raeisi who lost his life with his foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and others in a helicopter crash in northwest Iran.
Pezeshkian originally ran against a field of five candidates last week, winning the largest number of votes but falling short of a majority which sent him and Jalili to a second round.
In his first message after the election win, Pezeshkian thanked Iranians who came to vote "with love and to help" the country.
Electoral authorities put participation in the runoff election at around 50 percent.
A heart surgeon by profession, Pezeshkian entered politics first as the country's deputy health minister and later as the health minister.
In 2006, Pezeshkian was elected as a lawmaker representing Tabriz in northwest Iran. He later served as a deputy parliament speaker described by many as an “independent” politician, a label that was embraced by Pezeshkian in the campaign.
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