Updated At 12 11 AM.. Early results in Iran presidential election give reformist-backed Rowhani wide lead. Early results in Iran presidential election give reformist-backed Rowhani wide lead The Associated Press TEHRAN, Iran . TEHRAN, Iran (AP) Iran’s reformist-backed presidential candidate has surged to a wide lead in early vote counting. The head of the interior ministry’s election department says Hasan Rowhani had nearly more than 38 percent of the vote with more than 3 million votes tallied. Rowhani’s net closest competitor had about 16 percent. Still, the strong margin would not be enough for Rowhani to win the presidency outright and avoid a two-person runoff next Friday. Rowhani is the only cleric among the six candidates, so his victory would not likely be perceived as a threat to the ruling structure. He served for a time as the country’s nuclear negotiator, quitting the post shortly after Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (ah-muh-DEE’-neh-zhahd) was elected in 2005, after quarrelsome meetings with the new president. That move cemented Rowhani’s reputation as a moderate who rejected Ahmadinejad’s combative approach in world affairs. With 50 million eligible voters and a strong turnout one hardline newspaper estimated it at 75 percent it’s unclear when a final count will be known. %@AP Links APPHOTO CARS103: A woman places her ballot in a box as Iranians outside their country of origin cast ballots in Iran’s presidential election, in a hotel meeting room in Los Angeles Friday, June 14, 2013. Iranian-Americans and expatriates cast ballots Friday in polling places across the United States, joining their countrymen half a world away in selecting the next Iranian president (AP Photo/Reed Saxon..
Posted on: Sat, 15 Jun 2013 12:54:16 +0000
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