Hassan Rouhani wins Iran's presidential election

Iran's reformist President Hassan Rouhani has been re-elected in a landslide victory in the country's presidential election on Saturday, fending off a challenge by principlist rival, Ebrahim Raisi. The victory gives him a mandate to continue his quest to expand personal freedoms and open Iran’s ailing economy to global investors.

 
With all of votes in yesterday's poll counted, Rouhani was re-elected with 57 percent, Interior announced Iran's Minister Abdolreza Rahmanifazli on Saturday.

"Of some 41.2 million total votes cast, Rouhani got 23.5 ... and won the election," compared with his conservative rival Ebrahim Raisi, who won 15,786,449 votes (38.5%), Rahmanifazli said in remarks carried live by state TV.

With a huge turnout, polling stations stayed open until midnight in parts of the country, defying concerns that moderates disillusioned by the weak economy or slow pace of change would not vote.