Iran Risk Management Report: Election of moderate cleric Hassan Rouhani gives grounds for optimism

On 14 June, Iran held a presidential election in which Ahmadinejad – who has already served two terms – did not stand.The winner was Hassan Rouhani, the most moderate of the six candidates, who took 50.71% of the vote, way in front of Tehran mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who came second with 16.56%. Top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, talked about previously as a front-runner, was third, and Mohsen Rezaie fourth. Rouhani’s victory was something of a surprise.