Iranians deliver emphatic victory for Hassan Rouhani

Rouhani's opponent Raisi, a protege of Khamenei, had united the conservative faction

Iranians yearning for more freedom at home and less isolation abroad have emphatically re-elected President Hassan Rouhani, throwing down a challenge to the conservative clergy that still holds ultimate sway.
 
Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani-Fazli declared Rouhani’s victory on Saturday on state TV, citing figures giving Rouhani about 57 per cent of the vote in Friday’s election, compared to 38 per cent for his main rival, hardline judge Ebrahim Raisi.
 
Although the powers of the elected president are limited by those of unelected Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who outranks him, the scale of Rouhani’s victory gives the pro-reform