The president’s chances of bringing about significant change in Iran are limited.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has officially recognized what is characterized as a reformist by Masoud Pezeshkian victory in the presidential election.
Pezeshkian won the second round of Iran’s presidential election in early July. An ultraconservative competed against him for the position of president Saeed Jalili.
– I support the vote for the wise, honest, popular and learned Pezeshkian, and appoint him as the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Khamenei’s official message said.
After the official acceptance, Pezeshkian thanked the leader and the Iranian people. The new president is scheduled to take his oath of office in front of the parliament on Tuesday.
The president’s chances of bringing about significant change in Iran are limited. In the Islamic Republic, power has long been concentrated in the supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei.
Pezeshkian stressed several times during his campaign that the supreme leader defines Iran’s political lines.
Pezeshkian has promised more constructive relations with the West in order to end Iran’s isolation. He has also objected to Iran starting to negotiate a new nuclear deal with Western countries.