Cleric Rouhani on course to win Iran presidential polls

June 15, 2013 15:50

Moderate Iranian cleric Hassan Rouhani looked to be heading towards an outright victory over his conservative rivals in the presidential election, initial results showed on Saturday.

The vote is unlikely to radically alter ties between Tehran and the West, but if Rouhani wins he has indicated he would pursue a less confrontational foreign policy than current President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and enact a "civil rights charter" at home.

With more than 5.2 million votes counted from the 50 million electorate, Rouhani had 52.30 percent of votes cast, Iran's interior ministry said. That takes Rouhani above the 50 percent of the vote he needs to avoid a second round run-off on June 21.

Rouhanii's nearest rival was conservative Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, a long way behind with 17.33 percent. Other hardline candidates scored even lower.

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