Hassan Rouhani has won the Iranian national election.
In a couple of weeks, current president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will give the mantle of rule to Rouhani, who was reported as the winner of the presidential race on Saturday, after Iranian officials finished counting up all the votes citizens had cast on Friday.
65-year-old Rouhani is a religious figure and moderate politician. According to CNN, he was backed by Iranian reformists and received more than 50 percent of the vote, the interior ministry said.
His running mate and closest competition, mayor of Tehran Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, won around 15 percent of the vote.
Half of the six presidential hopefuls were staunch conservatives. Rouhani was seen as the middle-ground in the election.
CNN reported that Rouhani-a diplomatic, legal intellectual-tends to steer clear of extreme political stances, as well as reconciling differences-but the new president is not a pushover by any means. He has worked for Iran's defense sector for many years: he was commander of the country's air defenses, led three war and defense councils and acted as national security adviser to the president prior to Ahmadinejad's rule.
Rouhani has three law degrees-one from a university in Scotland. He currently presides over Iran's strategic research center, where he publishes essays on a regular basis. He is also managing editor for three quarterly publications on scientific and strategic studies, as well as foreign policy.
The new president was active during the Iranian Green Movement-a series of actions taken against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad after his election in 2009. Many citizens said that his election was fraudulent, and called for his removal from office.
Many believe that Rouhani will be more diplomatic and willing to speak at international exchanges, given an extensive past relationship with the world's community.
