The stances of Iran's presidential candidate Masoud Pezeshkian reflect the dualities of being a reformist politician within Iran’s Shiite theocracy. They are always pushing for change but never radical reforms to the system overseen by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. After Iran’s June 28 presidential election saw the lowest turnout in history, Pezeshkian now must convince a public angered by years of economic pain and bloody crackdowns to go vote in a runoff poll. He's running against hard-liner Saeed Jalili, a former nuclear negotiator. Pezeshkian has suggested he wants better relations with the West, a return to the atomic accord and less enforcement of the hijab law.
