Hassan Rouhani re-elected as President of Iran

Hassan Rouhani was on 20 May 2017 re-elected as the President of Iran after winning the Iranian presidential elections 2017.

This will be his second term as Iran's President. Rouhani won his second term by presenting himself as the candidate of change and social freedoms that ended many sanctions.

Rouhani was first elected as Iran's President in 2013. He won 2013 elections by pledging to end Iran’s isolation and improve civil rights.

Iranian President Elections 2017
In the Iranian President Elections, Hassan Rouhani defeated his Conservative opponent Ebrahim Raisi by winning a total of 23549616 votes out of 41220131 votes. While Raeisi received around 15786449 ballots.

Two other participants, who were defeated in the elections, Mostafa Mirsalim and Mostafa Hashemi won 478215 and 215450 votes respectively.

This year, Iran witnessed a heavy turnout in votes as more than 70 per cent of Iran’s 56 million voters casted ballots.

About Hassan Rouhani
• Born in Semnan province on 12 November 1948, Rouhani is a graduate of University of Tehran and has PhD from Scotland’s Glasgow Caledonian University.
• He began his political career in the 1960s by following the exiled leader of the Islamic movement, Ayatollah Khomeini.
• He has held various key positions like the key defence portfolios during the 1980 -88 Iran-Iraq war.
• He had spent 16 years as Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, which is Iran’s top security post.
• He earned the nickname 'diplomatic sheikh' owing to his clerical background and role as Iran's chief nuclear negotiator from 2003 to 2005.
• In 2013, Rouhani was elected as President of Iran.
• During his term, Iran reached a landmark deal in 2015. Rouhani was a key architect of the 2015 nuclear deal with the world powers in return for the lifting of economic sanctions.
• He also became the first Iranian leader to speak with the President of United States when Barack Obama phoned in September 2013.
• Rouhani consistently worked to rebuild Irans’ relations with the West.