Supreme leader: Iranian election turnout falls short of expectations

Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, has expressed disappointment over the turnout in the first round of presidential elections, calling for increased participation in the upcoming second round.

"Certainly, the turnout in the first round of elections was lower than we expected and anticipated," Khamenei said, Caliber.Az reports, citing Iranian media.

He urged those who did not vote to participate in the second round, cautioning against assumptions that non-voters are inherently opposed to the system. "Those who think that all non-voters are against the system are very mistaken," he added.

Khamenei emphasized that while there are dissenting voices within the country, it would be a mistake to categorize all non-voters as such. He stressed that those who love the Islamic Republic and seek positive change should demonstrate their support by participating in the voting on July 5.

On June 28, Iran held its first round of presidential elections with four candidates participating. None of them secured more than 50% of the votes, necessitating a second round on July 5. Leading with a significant margin into the second round are former Minister of Health Masoud Pezeshkian (reformist, 42.5% of votes in the first round) and the representative of Iran's Supreme Leader in the Supreme National Security Council, Said Jalili (conservative, 38.6% of votes in the first round).