Iran President leading in election: official

pulse

May 20, 2017 7:50 AM

President Hassan Rouhani was leading in Iran's election with more than half of votes counted on Saturday, the head of the election committee announced.

Iran's Hassan Rouhani, a 68-year-old moderate cleric who spearheaded a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, has framed the election as a choice between greater civil liberties and "extremism"

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Out of 25.9 million votes counted, Rouhani had 14.6 million and his hardline challenger Ebrahim Raisi 10.1 million, said Ali Asghar Ahmadi on state television.

A huge turnout on Friday -- estimated at more than 40 million out of 56 million registered voters -- led to the vote being extended by several hours to deal with long queues.

Rouhani, a 68-year-old moderate cleric who spearheaded a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, has framed the vote as a choice between greater civil liberties and "extremism".

But he has faced stiff competition from hardline cleric Ebrahim Raisi, 56, who positioned himself as a defender of the poor and called for a much tougher line with the West.

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