Hassan Rohani Won Presidential Elections of Iran; Defeated Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf

Hassan Rohani, the moderate cleric of Combatant Clergy Association party won the presidential election in Iran on 15 June 2013. He secured a little over 50 percent votes to win the election. He would succeed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

He defeated Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf of Islamic Society of Engineers party. The presidential elections in Iran took place on 14 June 2013. Hassan Rohani had registered for the prestigious designation of the country on 7 May 2013. He would take the office on 3 August 2013. He would become the seventh different President of Iran.

About Hassan Rohani

• Hassan Rohani was born on 12 November 1948.
• He started his political activities when he followed Ayatollah Khomeini during beginning of Iranian Islamic movement.
• He has remained a member of Assembly of Experts since 1999. Assembly of Experts of Iran is also known as Council of Experts. It is the deliberative body of Islamic theologians, also called Mujtahids. The Assembly of Experts is the body that has charge of electing as well as removing Supreme Leader of Iran as well as supervising his activities.
• He also remained a member of Expediency Council since 1991. Expediency Council or Expediency Discernment Council of the System is the administrative assembly which is appointed by Supreme Leader of Iran. Originally, Expediency Council was established to resolve differences between Council of Guardians and the Majlis.
• Apart from this, he was the member of the Supreme National Security Council since 1989.
• He was the head of the Center for Strategic Research since 1992.
• Hassan Rohani has remained the deputy speaker of the 4th and 5th terms of the Islamic Consultative Assembly (Majlis) and secretary of the Supreme National Security Council from 1989 to 2005.
• He also remained the head of former nuclear negotiating team of Iran. He was also the top negotiator of Iran with the EU three namely, Germany, UK and France, on the nuclear program of Iran.
• In the book titled, National Security and Nuclear Diplomacy, there is an autobiography of Hassan Rohani which describes about his experience as in-charge of Iran's nuclear case as well as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.

Important facts about the Election of President of Iran, according to the Constitution of Iran

• According to Article 117 of the Constitution of Iran, the President is elected by an absolute majority of votes polled by the voters.
• According to Article 115 of the Constitution of Iran, the President must be elected from among religious and political personalities.
• According to Article 114 of the Constitution of Iran, the President is elected for a four-year term by the direct vote of the people. His re-election for a successive term is permissible only once.