Hassan Rouhani Wins Presidential Election

Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, Iran's Minister of Interior, announced on Saturday, May 30, that Hassan Rouhani was the winner of the twelfth presidential election in Iran, in a speech broadcasted on Iran's news network. He reported the statistics from 99.7% of polling stations as follows: Rouhani 23,549,616 votes, Raisi 15,786,449 votes, MirSalim 478,215 votes, Hashemi-Taba 215,450 votes, total: 41,220,131 votes. The Minister added that Hassan Rouhani secured 57% of the votes and was elected as President of Iran. Ebrahim Raisi received 38.5% of the votes, followed by MirSalim and Hashemi-Taba. According to Tasnim News Agency, invalid votes exceeded 1,190,000. Eisa Farhadi, the governor of Tehran, stated that over 60% of eligible voters in Tehran participated in the twelfth presidential election. Meanwhile, Hassan Rouhani's electoral headquarters announced that he would have a brief conversation with the people on Saturday at 18:00 Tehran time. In response to this news, Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, described the citizens' participation in the elections on May 29 as 'enthusiastic and widespread' and expressed gratitude for it. Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Foreign Minister of Rouhani's government, also wrote on his Twitter page on Saturday: 'We derive stability not from 'alliances' but from our people who - unlike many others - vote. We must treat Iranians with respect; they are ready for engagement.' His remarks come as Saudi officials and several other Arab countries allied with Saudi Arabia are scheduled to meet and discuss with Donald Trump, the President of the United States, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia's capital. On Saturday, Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief, tweeted twice regarding the elections in Iran, stating: 'Iranians participated enthusiastically in their country's political life. I congratulate President Hassan Rouhani for the strong backing he has received.' She added: 'The European Union is ready to cooperate for the full implementation of the JCPOA, bilateral engagement, regional peace, and meeting the expectations of all Iranians.' Javier Solana, former EU foreign policy chief, also tweeted: 'Congratulations to Hassan Rouhani. A decisive victory. Another opportunity for his country. More needs to be done for regional stability.' Rouhani's votes in the previous election: 50.7%. Hassan Rouhani, born in the city of Sarakhs in Semnan province, is 68 years old and has four children. Mr. Rouhani has been active in the Iranian government since the victory of the 1979 revolution, serving as a member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, member of the Assembly of Experts, member of the Expediency Discernment Council, and appointed member of the Supreme National Security Council. He was considered a member of the moderate Society of Combatant Clergy, a right-wing and Sunni clerical organization in Tehran. He is also the head of the Strategic Research Center of the Expediency Discernment Council and is very close to Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a significant figure in the three-decade history of the Islamic Republic and an old member of the Society of Combatant Clergy. Hassan Rouhani has been involved in the Iranian government for over three decades. His statements regarding rebuilding relations with the world have always faced strong opposition from conservative factions. However, he succeeded in achieving a nuclear agreement with Western powers during his first presidential term and reduced the severity of some international sanctions against Iran. Domestically, Hassan Rouhani refers to himself as a representative of the movement for 'social freedoms' in the Islamic Republic and labels his opponents as 'hardliners.' In the previous presidential election, he was the candidate supported by reformists and won with 50.7% of the votes, becoming the seventh President of Iran. During that election, Hassan Rouhani won with 18,613,629 votes on June 14, 2013. He was supported by Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Mohammad Khatami.