Skip to main content

Hassan Rouhani leads Iran presidential election vote count......

Early results from Iran's presidential election put the reformist-backed candidate, Hassan Rouhani, in the lead.
Official figures give him just over half the 16 million votes counted so far - well ahead of second-placed Tehran mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf.
Mr Rouhani could win in the first round if he finishes with more than 50%.
Electoral officials said turnout was high among the 50 million Iranians eligible to vote on Friday for a successor to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
His eight years in power have been characterised by economic turmoil and Western sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programme.
Surge of support Final results are expected later in the day.
Preliminary figures began to emerge early on Saturday after a delay of several hours.

Iranian presidential elections

The supreme leader will ratify the vote on 3 August
  • Six candidates running
  • Race is seen as contest between Ayatollah Ali Khamenei loyalists and moderate reformers
  • Early lead taken by Hassan Rouhani, a cleric described as a moderate who is backed by two ex-presidents
  • Nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, said to be very close to Mr Khamenei, lies in fourth place
  • About 50 million people were eligible to vote; turnout put at around 80%
  • If no candidate wins more than 50%, run-off held on 21 June
Officials at the election headquarters said that with more than 16,716,937 votes counted so far - 16,166,392 of them being valid:
  • Hassan Rouhani has 8,439,530
  • Mr Qalibaf is in second place with 2,560,383
  • Mohsen Rezai lies third with 2,101,330, followed by Saeed Jalili on 1,890,462.
But state TV channels said the winning candidate needed more than 50% of all ballots cast, including invalid ones, Reuters news agency reported.
Voting was extended on Friday evening to allow more people to cast their ballots. Iranian Press TV said turnout was 80%.
Although all six candidates are seen as conservatives, analysts say Mr Rouhani - a 64-year-old cleric often described as "moderate" who has held several parliamentary posts and served as chief nuclear negotiator - has been reaching out to reformists in recent days.
The surge of support for him came 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.
Mr Rouhani thus went into polling day with the endorsement of two ex-presidents - Mr Khatami and Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who was disqualified from the race by the powerful Guardian Council, a 12-member body of theologians and jurists.
However, Mr Rouhani faced a tough challenge from hardline candidates, including Mr Qalibaf - who is seen as a pragmatic conservative - and nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili - who is said to be very close to the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The other three candidates are Mohsen Rezai, a former head of the powerful Revolutionary Guards, former Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati, and former Telecommunications Minister Mohammad Gharazi.
Earlier, Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar told state TV that any presidential candidates unhappy with the results would have three days to lodge complaints to the Guardian Council.
'Intimidation' After the last presidential election in June 2009, millions of Iranians took to the streets to demand a re-run, when the supreme leader dismissed claims by the three defeated candidates of widespread fraud.

Iranian press reaction

  • Jomhuri-ye Eslami (hardline): The significant turnout conveyed a few messages. Firstly, the foreign enemy should realise that Iran's domestic conflicts and challenges can never prevent people from voting.
  • Khorasan (conservative): The high turnout has enhanced Iran's image and strategic credibility.
  • Etemad (reformist) : This election can be considered as one of the most effective and at the same time the most sensitive to have been held in the 34 years since the Islamic Revolution.
  • Resalat (conservative): The government that will be formed by the epic vote of the people should stand against the excessive demands of the West.
Two of them, former Prime Minister Mir Hussein Mousavi and senior cleric Mehdi Karroubi, became leaders of a nationwide opposition known as the Green Movement, after its signature colour.
They were placed under house arrested in February 2011 when they applied to stage a protest in support of the anti-government uprisings which were sweeping the Arab world. They are still being detained.
No foreign observers monitored this year's election and there have also been concerns that media coverage in the run-up has been unfair.
Many reformist newspapers have been shut down, access to the internet and foreign broadcasters has been restricted, and journalists have been detained.
On Thursday, the BBC accused the Iranian authorities of "unprecedented levels of intimidation" of BBC employees' families.
It said Iran had warned the families of 15 BBC Persian Service staff that they must stop working for the BBC or their lives in London would be endangered.
Tehran has so far made no comment on the allegation

Popular posts from this blog

G8 Northern Ireland summit: Syria set to top agenda

Cannot play media. You do not have the correct version of the flash player. Download the correct version David Cameron and Vladimir Putin disagree on Syria but aim to build on "common ground" Continue reading the main story Syria conflict Behind the battle lines The city that died Who is arming whom? Guide to conflict The leaders of the G8 nations are to begin a summit in Northern Ireland, with Syria's conflict set to dominate. UK PM David Cameron met Russian leader Vladimir Putin - Syria's key ally - on Sunday. They will each hold separate talks with President Barack Obama, who has indicated he will arm the rebels. Mr Cameron, the host, is also keen to focus on global economic issues. He hopes to oversee the launch of talks for an EU-US free trade deal and achieve ...
Read more

Who is to blame for the rise of ISIL?

(FRANKS..)   n this Head to Head  special from Washington DC, Mehdi Hasan challenges retired Lieutenant General Michael T. Flynn, on the rise of ISIL, the War on Terror, torture, and how to deal with Iran. Flynn was the former head of the US Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) and a commander of J-SOC, the ghost military unit whose squads hunted Al Qaeda in Iraq and Afghanistan all the way to Osama Bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan. With no panel or audience, we ask him whether the US is to blame for creating ISIL and whether the War on Terror has become a crusade. We also discuss torture in US bases and why he is opposed to a deal with Iran.    Follow us on:   Facebook and @AJHeadtoHead  Is the US to blame for ISIL? with Michael T. Flynn will be broadcast on Friday July 31 at 2000 GMT,  and will be repeated on Saturday August 1 at 1200 GMT, Saturday August 2 at 0100 GMT and Monday August 3 at 0600 GMT. Head to Head   is Al Jazeer...
Read more

Chibok abductions: Will Nigerian schoolgirls ever be freed?

(FRANKS..) Continue reading the main story Nigeria abductions Politics and parents Malala's appeal Hostage negotiations Military failings Six months since militant Islamist group Boko Haram sparked global outrage by abducting more than 200 girls from Chibok town in north-eastern Nigeria, the government has still failed to secure their release. The BBC's Will Ross spoke to the parents of some of the girls about their ordeal. In the remote farming community of Chibok, the agony is only getting worse. The parents and other relatives of the missing 219 school girls complain that they have been left to rely on a diet of rumour from the media and a long list of unfulfilled promises from the politicians. "The government must do more to get the girls back. Some parents are already dying. About six women have g...
Read more