Moderate triumphs in race for Iran presidency
Source: Agencies |
June 16, 2013, Sunday
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MODERATE cleric Hassan Rowhani, bolstered by a late surge in support from reformists, has won the race yesterday to succeed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as Iran's president.
Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar announced the result late last night on state television, saying that, with 18.6 million votes, or 50.68 percent, Rowhani, a former top nuclear negotiator who has championed more constructive engagement with the international community, had won outright.
He said 36.7 million people, or 72.7 percent of the electorate had turned out to vote.
More than 50.5 million Iranians were eligible to vote for a succesor to Mahmud Ahmadinejad, who was constitutionally barred from standing again after serving two consecutive terms.
Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf was in distant second place with 16.6 percent of the vote, followed by Iran's current nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, with 11.4 percent, and former Revolutionary Guards commander Mohsen Rezai with 10.6 percent.
Left the field open
The withdrawal of the sole reformist from the race had left the field open for Rowhani to win the votes of both moderates and reformists and establish a large lead over his divided hardline opponents.
Under Iranian law, the first-round winner must clear a threshold of 50 percent plus one vote to avoid a run-off against the second-placed candidate.
Whoever wins will inherit an economy that has been badly hit by EU and US sanctions.
Friday's election was the first since the disputed 2009 re-election of Ahmadinejad triggered massive street protests by supporters of his rivals, that were crushed in a deadly crackdown.
Voters turned out in force on Friday, with Rowhani benefiting from the withdrawal earlier of the only reformist candidate, Mohammad Reza Aref.
The former first vice president pulled out on Tuesday at the urging of reformist ex-president Mohammad Khatami, who then threw his weight behind the 64-year-old Rowhani.
In 2003, when Rowhani was top nuclear negotiator under Khatami, Iran agreed to suspend its enrichment of uranium. The program was restarted two years later when Ahmadinejad became president.
The West suspect is aimed at developing an atomic weapon capability, a charge Tehran denies.
Sanctions from the resulting stand-off have isolated Iran.
In campaigning, Rowhani has pledged to move to ease these.
Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar announced the result late last night on state television, saying that, with 18.6 million votes, or 50.68 percent, Rowhani, a former top nuclear negotiator who has championed more constructive engagement with the international community, had won outright.
He said 36.7 million people, or 72.7 percent of the electorate had turned out to vote.
More than 50.5 million Iranians were eligible to vote for a succesor to Mahmud Ahmadinejad, who was constitutionally barred from standing again after serving two consecutive terms.
Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf was in distant second place with 16.6 percent of the vote, followed by Iran's current nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, with 11.4 percent, and former Revolutionary Guards commander Mohsen Rezai with 10.6 percent.
Left the field open
The withdrawal of the sole reformist from the race had left the field open for Rowhani to win the votes of both moderates and reformists and establish a large lead over his divided hardline opponents.
Under Iranian law, the first-round winner must clear a threshold of 50 percent plus one vote to avoid a run-off against the second-placed candidate.
Whoever wins will inherit an economy that has been badly hit by EU and US sanctions.
Friday's election was the first since the disputed 2009 re-election of Ahmadinejad triggered massive street protests by supporters of his rivals, that were crushed in a deadly crackdown.
Voters turned out in force on Friday, with Rowhani benefiting from the withdrawal earlier of the only reformist candidate, Mohammad Reza Aref.
The former first vice president pulled out on Tuesday at the urging of reformist ex-president Mohammad Khatami, who then threw his weight behind the 64-year-old Rowhani.
In 2003, when Rowhani was top nuclear negotiator under Khatami, Iran agreed to suspend its enrichment of uranium. The program was restarted two years later when Ahmadinejad became president.
The West suspect is aimed at developing an atomic weapon capability, a charge Tehran denies.
Sanctions from the resulting stand-off have isolated Iran.
In campaigning, Rowhani has pledged to move to ease these.
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