Moderate Rouhani Wins Iran Presidential Election

Rouhani won 18,613,329 of the 36,704,156 votes cast, representing 50.71% of the vote. Photo by EPA/BGNES

Reformist-backed cleric Hassan Rouhani has won Iran's presidential election, securing just over 50% of the vote and so avoiding the need for a run-off, BBC reported.

Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf was well behind in second place.

Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar announced that Rouhani had won 18,613,329 of the 36,704,156 votes cast. This represented 50.71% of the vote.

Qalibaf won 6,077,292 votes to take second place (16.56%).

Turnout was estimated at 72.2% among the 50 million Iranians who were eligible to vote to choose a successor to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was ineligible to stand again.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is scheduled to ratify the vote on 3 August. The new president will then take the oath in parliament.

Support for Rouhani surged after Mohammad Reza Aref, the only reformist candidate in the race, announced on Tuesday that he was withdrawing on the advice of pro-reform ex-President Mohammad Khatami.

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