Iran’s President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian has delivered his first speech after winning Friday’s presidential runoff.
Pezeshkian won more than 53 percent of votes as the sole reformist candidate, defeating hardline conservative Saeed Jalili who garnered about 44 percent.
During the campaign, Pezeshkian called for more dialogue with Western countries, while Jalili vowed not to hesitate in confronting the West.
Voter turnout in the runoff stood at 49.8 percent, an increase of about 10 percent from the first round of voting in June.
People who are discontent with the current situation are believed to have supported Pezeshkian.
In a victory speech on Saturday, Pezeshkian said that Iran is faced with a test to ease the concerns of people who strive for a better life.
The former deputy parliamentary speaker and health minister also said that he did not give people false promises in this election.
He expressed a readiness to try to improve relations with the West in a bid to have economic sanctions lifted, and revive the 2015 agreement on Iran’s nuclear development.
People in the capital Tehran expressed their hope for a change. One 42-year-old man said that he wants the president-elect to start working as soon as possible on getting the sanctions lifted.
A 42-year-old woman said she expects Pezeshkian to build relations with other countries, taking into consideration the social situation.
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has issued a statement that said the president-elect is advised to continue the course of his predecessor and envision a bright future for the country’s development.
Pezeshkian will replace hardline President Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed in a helicopter crash in May.
Attention is focused whether the president-elect can usher in any major shift in foreign policy in a parliament controlled by conservatives.