Iran’s Turkish-origin president! The song he used to celebrate his election victory left its mark on the ceremony

Reformist Tabriz MP and former health minister Masoud Pezeshkian became the 9th President of Iran by receiving 53.7 percent of the votes in the second round of the 14th term presidential election held yesterday.

“THE TURK’S BACK DOES NOT BEND”

Pezeshkian, who gave messages of hope and change to the public throughout the election campaign, held a joyful celebration after the election results were announced. While celebrations were held all over the country, Pezeshkian’s song celebrating his election victory drew attention. As the song “Türkün beli bendez” played in the hall after the victory, Pezeshkian demonstrated his commitment to his roots and cultural heritage.

FIRST STATEMENT AFTER VICTORY

In his first message to the public on his X social media account, Masoud Pezeshkian said, “Dear Iranian people, the elections are over. This is the beginning of our unity. We cannot overcome the difficult path ahead of us without unity and trust. I extend my hand to you and I swear on my honor that I will not leave you alone on this path.”

“I AM PROUD OF MY TURKISHNESS”

Pezeshkian used the following expressions in his election slogans, which he meticulously carried out: “I have always spoken Turkish with my children at home, not Persian. I am Turkish. My mother and my ancestors are Turkish. I am proud of my Turkishness.”

WHO IS A PEZESKIYAN?

Reformist politician Pezeshkian was born on September 29, 1954, in the city of Mahabad to an Iranian-Turkish family and has always expressed his pride in his Turkish identity. Pezeshkian, whose surname means “Doctors” in Persian, graduated from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Tabriz. He served as both a combatant and a doctor in the Iran-Iraq war between 1980 and 1988. Pezeshkian, who completed his general practice course in 1985, continued his education by specializing in general surgery at the Tabriz University of Health Sciences after the war.

HE LOST HIS WIFE AND SON

Pezeshkian, who received his specialization in cardiac surgery from Tabriz University of Health Sciences in 1993, served as Rector of Tabriz University of Health Sciences from 1994 to 1999. He lost his wife and son in a car accident, and gained sympathy as a compassionate and resilient figure Pezeshkian lost his wife, Fatma Majidi, and a son in a car accident in 1994, and raised his remaining two sons and a daughter alone, never remarrying. Pezeshkian’s story of loss and self-sacrifice earned him sympathy and respect from many in Iranian society, who saw him as a compassionate and resilient figure.

Pezeshkian’s political life began in 1997, when he was appointed Deputy Minister of Health during the term of former President Mohammad Khatami. He was later appointed Minister of Health in 2001 during Khatami’s term, and remained in that position until 2005. Pezeshkian, who managed to enter the parliament as a Tabriz MP in the 2008 general elections, has since served five terms representing Tabriz.

SUPPORTED GOOD RELATIONS WITH THE WEST

Pezeshkian did not hold back from harsh criticism of the government’s attitude towards the opposition. After the incidents that followed the 2009 presidential election, Pezeshkian made a speech in the parliament criticizing the interventions of the security forces, and he experienced tensions with the conservative deputies. Pezeshkian, who applied to run for the 2013 presidential elections in Iran but later withdrew his candidacy, served as the Deputy Speaker of the Iranian Parliament in 2016 for 4 years. During this period, he defended the nuclear agreement and good relations with the West. Pezeshkian’s candidacy application for the 2021 elections was rejected by the Guardian Council. He entered the parliament again as a Member of Parliament for Tabriz in the parliamentary elections held on March 1.

MAHSA EMINI’S WORDS AFTER HER DEATH BECAME A HOT OCCASION

Speaking on a program he attended on state television after a young woman named Mahsa Emini died in police custody in Iran in September 2022, Pezeshkian said that the interventions stemming from the law on compulsory headscarves for women were worsening the situation and should be ended. Pezeshkian said, “We want our children to be chaste, but if these behaviors alienate them from religion, we should not continue this method.”

PROMISE OF ECONOMY AND JUSTICE DRAWS ATTENTION

Pezeshkian, who has received the open support of former Presidents Mohammad Khatami and Hassan Rouhani, and former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, emphasized the “ethnic and sectarian discrimination” and the compulsory headscarf issue in the country during his election campaign. He promised to solve the problems of the economy and justice. Pezeshkian, who also promised to largely lift the internet bans, stated that important reforms in domestic and foreign policy and better relations with the West were necessary. Pezeshkian became the first reformist figure to be elected president in Iran since 2005.