Electoral staff count ballots in a polling station after voting ends in a snap presidential election to choose a successor to Ebrahim Raisi following his death in a helicopter crash, in Tehran, Iran June 29, 2024. /Reuters
Iran will hold a runoff presidential election on July 5 as no candidate secured a majority of votes, spokesman of Iran's Election Headquarters Mohsen Eslami announced.
The top two candidates for the runoff were Masoud Pezeshkian, a former health minister, and Saeed Jalili, the former top negotiator for nuclear talks.
Pezeshkian was leading with 10,415,991 votes in the first round against Jalili, who garnered 9,473,298 votes.
Turnout of the first round stood at 40 percent, according to Eslami as he appealed for more voters to show up for next Friday's runoff.
Iran's 14th presidential election, initially set for 2025, was rescheduled following the unexpected death of President Ebrahim Raisi and his entourage in a helicopter crash on May 19.
(With input from agencies)