Thousands of Iranians celebrated on the streets into yesterday’s early hours, counting on moderate president-elect Hassan Rohani to follow through on promises of better relations abroad and more freedom at home after routing hardliners at the polls.
Jubilant crowds celebrate win in major cities
A mid-ranking Shi’ite cleric, Rohani is an Islamic Republic insider who has held senior political and military posts since the 1979 revolution and maintained a good rapport throughout with theocratic Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s most powerful man who has the last word on all the big issues.
While no reformer himself, Rohani gained the backing of politically sidelined but still popular reformist leaders. His call for an end to the “era of extremism” won over many voters disgruntled over economic crises and crackdowns on free speech and dissidents that marked Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s presidency.
Rohani’s surprise win, however, is not expected to quickly resolve the stand-off with the West over Iran’s disputed nuclear ambitions or break its commitment to backing President Bashar al-Assad in Syria’s civil war.
But the new President will run the economy of the sprawling Opec member state of 75 million people and exert influence when Khamenei decides on national security matters.
His victory goes some way to repairing the legitimacy of the Islamic Republic, punctured four years ago when dozens were killed in protests after an election reformists said was rigged, and may help pragmatic voices muzzled since then to re-emerge.
Thousands of young Iranians took to the streets of the capital Tehran and other big cities as soon as the poll results were announced on Saturday, making sure their voices and expectations of the new president were clearly heard.
The president-elect, known in the West as Iran’s main nuclear negotiator in 2003-05, immediately sought to build bridges yesterday, expressing approval of the street parties but also having talks with the conservative speaker of Parliament.
“With their celebrations last night, the Iranian people showed they are hopeful about the future and God willing, morals and moderation will govern the country,” Shi’ite cleric Rohani told state TV.