Masoud Pezeshkian, Iran’s sole reformist candidate, has risen from relative obscurity to leading the votes in the first round of the Islamic republic’s presidential elections, stunning supporters and rivals alike.
Pezeshkian, 69, won the largest number of votes in a first round on Friday that saw him face off against three figures from the conservative camp, all vying to replace late president Ebrahim Raisi who died in a helicopter crash last month.