TEHRAN: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani won a resounding re-election victory on Saturday as voters overwhelmingly backed his efforts to reach out to the world and rebuild the struggling economy.

Rouhani, a 68-year-old moderate cleric who spearheaded a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, took 23.5 million votes — 57 per cent — compared to 15.8m — 38.3 per cent — for hardline challenger Ebrahim Raisi.

In his first speech after winning re-election, Rouhani said Iran had chosen the “path of engagement with the world” and rejected extremism.

“The Iranian people want to live in peace and friendship with the rest of the world, but will not accept any threat or humiliation,” he said on state television.

Nawaz Sharif congratulates moderate cleric

Iran’s efforts to open up to the world, however, face a stark challenge from US President Donald Trump, who has threatened to tear up the nuclear deal.

Iranians nonetheless flocked to the polls, with turnout hitting 73 per cent.

Election organisers were forced to extend polling by several hours on Friday, as they struggled to adapt to a population explosion that has added 20m names to the voting rolls in the past two decades.

“Already last night we had the feeling we were heading for a landslide, and it came true,” said Farid Dehdilani, an adviser for the Iranian Privatisation Organisation, who worked on Rouhani’s campaign.

“Our people reaffirmed their confidence in President Rouhani and their support for engagement with the world,” he added.

Raisi, 56, had positioned himself as a defender of the poor and called for a much tougher line with the West. But his revolutionary rhetoric and efforts to win over working class voters with promises of increased handouts gained limited traction.

“Rouhani’s vote, particularly in rural areas, shows that Iranian people no longer believe in economic populism and radical change,” said Ali Vaez, Iran analyst for the International Crisis Group, a think tank.

“They have the maturity to understand that the solution to their country’s predicaments is in competent management of the economy and moderation in international relations,” Vaez said.

PM’s message

In a message of felicitations sent to the Iranian leader, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said the people had chosen President Rouhani to guide the country with his visionary and astute leadership, through which Iran had made significant achievements in the national as well as international domains.

The relations between the two countries were rooted in shared bonds of history, culture, traditions and faith, Mr Sharif said, according to a press release issued by the PM Office.

He reiterated his desire to work with the Iranian president on ongoing endeavours to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in diverse fields, forge a strong economic partnership and make earnest efforts towards solidarity, peace and progress in the region.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, a staunch ally of Iran in the Syrian conflict on the side of the Damascus regime, also congratulated Rouhani on his victory.

The Kremlin said Putin sent a telegram confirming “his readiness to continue active joint work... in line with maintaining stability and security in the Middle East and the world as a whole”.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini tweeted her congratulations and vowed to work for greater “engagement, regional peace... (and the) expectations of people in Iran”.

Published in Dawn, May 21st, 2017