Masoud Pezeshkian’s election as Iran’s new president comes after nearly two decades of relative obscurity since he served as the country’s health minister.
The heart surgeon was elected to parliament five times since 2008 as a representative from Tabriz, including the parliamentary election held earlier this year.
He held the post of deputy speaker from 2016 to 2020.
Mr Pezeshkian, 69, will be the first reformist to hold the presidency since Mohammed Khatami, under whom he led the health ministry from 2001 to 2005.
His victory over hardline candidate Saeed Jalili in Friday’s run-off vote also makes him the first non-cleric to win a presidential election since Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who served as president for two terms from 2005 to 2013.
Mr Pezeshkian’s presidency is expected to be a marked shift from that of his late predecessor Ebrahim Raisi, a cleric and former member of the judiciary who ordered a tightening of morality laws, oversaw a bloody crackdown to quell months of anti-government protests and took a tough stance in nuclear talks with world powers after taking office in 2021.
The president-elect publicly criticised the Raisi government over its handling of the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, days after she was arrested by morality police on charges of breaching the Islamic Republic's strict dress code for women.
In a post on Twitter, now known as X, he called on the authorities to "set up an investigation team" to look into the circumstances behind her death.
In recent campaigning, he has maintained his stance, criticising the enforcement of mandatory hijab laws that have required women to cover their head and neck in public since shortly after the 1979 Islamic revolution.
"We oppose any violent and inhumane behaviour towards anyone, notably our sisters and daughters, and we will not allow these actions to happen," he said.
He also vowed to ease internet restrictions and to involve ethnic minorities in his government.
Mr Pezeshkian was born in 1954 to an Iranian father of Turkic origin and a Kurdish mother in the city of Mahabad in the north-western province of West Azerbaijan.
He has represented Tabriz in parliament since 2008, served as health minister in Mr Khatami's government, and supervised sending medical teams to the war front during the Iran-Iraq conflict between 1980 and 1988.
In 1993, Mr Pezeshkian lost his wife and one of his children in a car accident. He never remarried and raised his remaining three children – two sons and a daughter – alone.
Iran's main reformist coalition threw its weight behind Mr Pezeshkian's presidential bid, with two former presidents, Mr Khatami and the moderate Hassan Rouhani, declaring their support.
Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's former foreign minister who helped secure the milestone 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, campaigned on his behalf.
Mr Pezeshkian has called for reviving the nuclear accord, which sought to curb Tehran's nuclear activity in return for sanctions relief, to bring Iran "out of isolation".
"If we manage to lift the sanctions, people will have an easier life while the continuation of sanctions means making people's lives miserable," he said during a televised interview.
With reporting from agencies.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
ODI FIXTURE SCHEDULE
First ODI, October 22
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Second ODI, October 25
Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune
Third ODI, October 29
Venue TBC
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Results:
CSIL 2-star 145cm One Round with Jump-Off
1. Alice Debany Clero (USA) on Amareusa S 38.83 seconds
2. Anikka Sande (NOR) For Cash 2 39.09
3. Georgia Tame (GBR) Cash Up 39.42
4. Nadia Taryam (UAE) Askaria 3 39.63
5. Miriam Schneider (GER) Fidelius G 47.74
Rashid & Rajab
Director: Mohammed Saeed Harib
Stars: Shadi Alfons, Marwan Abdullah, Doaa Mostafa Ragab
Two stars out of five
Anxiety and work stress major factors
Anxiety, work stress and social isolation are all factors in the recogised rise in mental health problems.
A study UAE Ministry of Health researchers published in the summer also cited struggles with weight and illnesses as major contributors.
Its authors analysed a dozen separate UAE studies between 2007 and 2017. Prevalence was often higher in university students, women and in people on low incomes.
One showed 28 per cent of female students at a Dubai university reported symptoms linked to depression. Another in Al Ain found 22.2 per cent of students had depressive symptoms - five times the global average.
It said the country has made strides to address mental health problems but said: “Our review highlights the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and depression, which may long have been overlooked."
Prof Samir Al Adawi, of the department of behavioural medicine at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, who was not involved in the study but is a recognised expert in the Gulf, said how mental health is discussed varies significantly between cultures and nationalities.
“The problem we have in the Gulf is the cross-cultural differences and how people articulate emotional distress," said Prof Al Adawi.
“Someone will say that I have physical complaints rather than emotional complaints. This is the major problem with any discussion around depression."
Daniel Bardsley
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
'My Son'
Director: Christian Carion
Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis
Rating: 2/5
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Company%20profile
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North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
Terrain: Flat ice
The bio
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite travel destination: Maldives and south of France
Favourite pastime: Family and friends, meditation, discovering new cuisines
Favourite Movie: Joker (2019). I didn’t like it while I was watching it but then afterwards I loved it. I loved the psychology behind it.
Favourite Author: My father for sure
Favourite Artist: Damien Hurst
