Rouhani Still Ahead

Early poll results said Hassan Rouhani is running ahead of the other candidates in Iran’s 11th presidential election.

Iran’s election headquarters announced on Saturday that Rouhani has 5,003,633 votes out of a total of 9,859,142 counted.

His main rival Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf has secured 1,582,724 votes.

Former commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Mohsen Rezayee Mir-Qaed has won 1,298,597 votes ranking 3rd in the race for the Islamic Republic’s presidential post so far.

The election headquarters said Iran’s chief negotiator and Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Secretary Saeed Jalili stands 4th with 1,229,151 votes.

Iran’s former foreign minister and Supreme Leader’s Senior Advisor for International Affairs Ali Akbar Velayati has gained 620,908 votes ranking 5th in the race, and former Iranian oil and telecommunications minister Seyed Mohammad Qarazi has so far come last with 124,129 ballots cast in his favor.

A number of 50, 470,000 people were eligible to vote in the elections. 1.6 million youths came to be eligible to vote for the first time in their lives as the voting age in Iran is above 18 according to the law.

The 11th presidential and the 4th city and village councils elections were held at 66,285 polling stations in Iran and 96 other world countries on Friday.

Campaigning for the June 14 presidential election kicked off in Iran on May 22 after the Guardian Council released the list of 8 qualified candidates, although only 6 remained in the race.

The qualified candidates represented a wide range of political streams from Principlists to reformists.