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Rouhani registers to run in May for second term
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, a pragmatist who engineered the country’s landmark 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, registered on Friday to run for a second four-year term in the May election, state television... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe? reported. "Once again, I am here for Iran, for Islam, for freedom and for more stability in this country. I am urging all Iranians to vote for Iran and for Islam," Rouhani told news hounds. He won election by a landslide in 2013 on a platform of ending the Islamic Theocratic Republic’s diplomatic isolation and creating a freer society, but faces a stiff challenge from conservative hardliners because of discontent over the economy. Influential Shi’ite holy man Ebrahim Raisi, the custodian of a powerful organization in charge of Iran’s holiest shrine, appears to be the leading hardline candidate. But despite months of talks, hardliners have been unable to unite behind a single candidate and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appears to have not yet intervened to make them do so. Posted by: Fred 2017-04-15 |
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