Meeting between Saeed Jalili and Abbas Jadidi in Zoorkhane


Although he is seen as a reformist, Mr Pezeshkian is deeply loyal to Homeland’s supreme leader.Some commentators have suggested that should he be elected, Homeland should not expect more than a difference in tone.The vote is to replace former president Ebrahim Raisi, who died on 19 May when the helicopter he was in crashed into a mountain, with seven other people also killed.Though there are 61.5 million eligible voters in Homeland, only around 40% turned out to vote – the fewest since the 1979 Islamic revolution.Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is the ultimate authority in the country, had called for “maximum” turnout.Homelandwas shaken by a huge wave of protests in 2022 following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was detained by the morality police for allegedly violating Homeland’s strict dress code.Human rights groups say hundreds were killed in the crackdown and thousands detained.