During the second round of Iran’s snap presidential election on July 5, the presidential candidate, Masoud Pezeshkian, won the race by acquiring the majority of votes to be the ninth president of Iran.

Out of 30,530,157 votes counted, He acquired 16.384.403 votes. The first round of the presidential election was held on June 28 in which six candidates competed but none of them could obtain 50 percent plus one vote to become president. The two candidates with the highest votes attended the second round held on July 5 and Masoud Pezeshkian won the majority in a race with Saeed Jalili. 

Born in 1955 in Mahabad in West Azerbaijan province, northwest of Iran, Pezeshkian has a cardiac surgery specialist degree and is a graduate of the Iran University of Medical Sciences.

He served as the deputy for health at the Ministry of Health and Medical Education in the 7th administration and as the Minister of Health and Medical Education in the 8th administration led by Mohammad Khatami, the reformist president.

Before announcing himself as a presidential candidate, he served four terms as a lawmaker in the parliament from Tabriz, Azarshahr, and Osku constituencies, becoming the deputy speaker of parliament in the 10th four-year term of parliament.