Hasan Rowhani, a Moderate Candidate, Declared Winner of Iran’s Presidential Vote
In a striking repudiation of the ultra-conservatives who wield power in Iran, Iranian voters overwhelmingly elected a mild-mannered cleric seeking greater personal freedoms for the public and a more conciliatory approach with the world.
Iran’s interior minister, Mostafa Mohammad Najjar, announced that Hassan Rowhani, 64, had more than 50 percent of the vote, enough to avoid a runoff in the race to succeed the outgoing president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose tenure was defined largely by provocation with the west and a seriously hobbled economy at home.
The hardline conservatives aligned with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei placed at the back of the pack of six candidates, indicating that Iranian’s were looking to their next president to change the tone, if not the direction of the nation, by choosing a cleric who served as the lead nuclear negotiator under reformist Mohammad Khatami.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/16/world/middleeast/iran-election.html?emc=edit_na_20130615
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