Khatami elected Iran President

DUBAI, May 24: Former culture minister and moderate Mohammed Khatami, today, emerged the surprise winner in the keenly-fought Iranian presi...

DUBAI, May 24: Former culture minister and moderate Mohammed Khatami, today, emerged the surprise winner in the keenly-fought Iranian presidential polls with his key opponent and conservative speaker of parliament Ali Akbar Nategh-Nuri conceding defeat.

Khatami, who was forced to quit as culture minister in 1992 under pressure from conservatives and hard-liners, fought the election on the planks of personal freedom, democracy and the rule of law, and bagged more than two thirds of votes halfway through counting.

Teheran Radio said Khatami got over 11 million of the 17 million votes counted while Nategh-Nuri managed to get only 4.5 million. In a letter read out over the radio, Nategh-Nuri conceded defeat and congratulated Khatami.

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The 54-year-old cleric will replace president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who is required to step down after two terms in office.

The two other candidates together polled less than a million votes, the radio said. The vote is considered by observers as reflective of the Iranian people’s desire for a change. Khatami is supposed to have received an overwhelming support from students, women and rural voters across the country.

Khatami, the candidate of a centre-left coalition, is described as a reformer who wants to limit the power of the clergy, and is, therefore, popular among young people who hope he will bring a more-relaxed interpretation of Islam in the day-to-day life of people.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of Iran, had said earlier that he had no preferences in the election and whoever would get the mandate of the people would be the president.