Iranians celebrate along Valiasr Street, in the capital Teheran, on Saturday, after moderate presidential candidate Hasan Rowhani was elected as president. Behrouz Mehri / Agence France-Presse

New president says result is 'a victory over extremism'

Iranians celebrated into Sunday after moderate Hasan Rowhani was elected president in a popular repudiation of conservative hardliners, and he pledged a new tone of respect in Teheran's international affairs after years of increasing antagonism.

Rowhani, a Shiite cleric and former chief nuclear negotiator with Western powers, received a resounding mandate for change from Iranians weary of years of economic decline under Western sanctions and security clampdowns on dissent.

Tens of thousands of jubilant Iranians took to the streets of Teheran on Sunday, toting pictures of 64-year-old Rowhani and chanting pro-reform slogans as news of his victory spread, ending eight years of a conservative grip on the top office.

Many were dressed in purple, Rowhani's campaign color, and others in green, the color of the reformist movement.

"Long live reform! Long live Rowhani," the crowds chanted, and "Ahmadi, bye bye!"

Police did not intervene in the celebrations and even laughed and shared jokes with those on the streets, several people present said. By morning, Teheran returned to normal, though residents said the election was still on everyone's lips.

Rowhani was declared the outright winner with 50.68 percent of votes cast in Friday's election.

In his first statement after his win was confirmed, he called on world powers to treat Iran with respect and recognize its rights, an apparent allusion to its controversial nuclear policy.

"This victory is a victory of wisdom, a victory of moderation, a victory of growth and awareness and a victory of commitment over extremism and ill-temper," Rowhani told state television.

"A new opportunity has been created by this great epic, and the nations who tout democracy and open dialogue should speak to the Iranian people with respect and recognize the rights of the Islamic republic," he said.

Then they will "hear an appropriate response", he added.

Rowhani is a former top nuclear negotiator who has championed more constructive engagement with world powers.

He won outright against five conservative candidates with 18.6 million votes, Interior Minister Mohammad Mostafa Najjar said.

Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's website congratulated Rowhani on his victory.

"I urge everyone to help the president-elect and his colleagues in the government, as he is the president of the whole nation," Khamenei's Internet site leader.ir reported.

Western countries gave Rowhani's win a cautious welcome.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday congratulated Rowhani on his victory and urged him to forge closer ties with Moscow.

"Putin expressed confidence that Hasan Rowhani's work on this high post will promote the flourishing of (Russian) friend Iran and further strengthen Russian-Iranian relations," the Kremlin quoted Putin as saying in a message to Iran's president-elect.

The United States said it was prepared to engage Iran directly over its disputed nuclear program following his win.

Such engagement would be aimed at reaching a "diplomatic solution that will fully address the international community's concerns about Iran's nuclear program", said the White House.

The West suspects Iran's nuclear program is aimed at building atomic weapons, but Iran insists it is for peaceful purposes.

EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton said in a statement she was committed to working with Rowhani to find a "swift diplomatic solution" to the disputed nuclear program.

Ashton serves as chief negotiator for the six world powers seeking to check Iran's controversial nuclear ambitions.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Paris was "ready to work" with Rowhani and Britain urged him to set the Islamic republic "on a different course".

But Israel said it was Khamenei who decided on nuclear policy, not the president.

"After the election, Iran will continue to be judged by its acts, in the nuclear field as well as that of terrorism," a foreign ministry statement said.

The Jewish state, the region's sole if undeclared nuclear power, has not ruled out a military strike to prevent Iran developing an atomic bomb. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday urged continued international pressure on Teheran to curb its nuclear program.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle welcomed the result as a vote for reforms and "a constructive foreign policy".

AFP - AP - Reuters

(China Daily 06/17/2013 page11)