PM Khan congratulates Ebrahim Raisi for winning Iran presidential vote

ISLAMABAD: The Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan has congratulated Irani judge Ebrahim Raisi for winning a landslide vote in the presidential election on Saturday, ARY News reported.

Taking to Twitter earlier today, the PM tweeted a congratulatory message for him and said that he looks forward to “working with him for further strengthening of our fraternal ties and for regional peace, progress and prosperity.”

Congratulations to Excellency brother Ibrahim Raisi @raisi_com on his landmark victory in the Islamic Republic of Iran’s 13th Presidential elections. Look forward to working with him for further strengthening of our fraternal ties and for regional peace, progress and prosperity.

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) June 19, 2021

Polls opened in Iran at 7am local time on Friday morning, ushering in the country’s 13th election.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had called for a high turnout in the country’s presidential election, in a contest likely to be won by a judge fiercely loyal to the religious establishment.

“Each vote counts … come and vote and choose your president … this is important for the future of your country,” said Khamenei after casting his vote in the capital Tehran.

Polls open in Iran election, Khamenei calls for high turnout

It has been reported that the election cycle was largely dominated by voter apathy and issues regarding the ongoing nuclear talks and Iran’s struggling economy both issues being seen as failures of the Rouhani administration.

During debates leading up to the election, the candidates used much of their time to blame President Hassan Rouhani for government failures over the last eight years.

This year, the combination of a list of nearly all hard line and conservative candidates along with deep seated voter apathy is likely to hand a win to Ebrahim Raisi.