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Iran's interior minister said President Hassan Rohani -- seen casting his ballot on May 19 -- won reelection with around 57 percent of the vote, easily avoiding a runoff.
Iran's interior minister said President Hassan Rohani -- seen casting his ballot on May 19 -- won reelection with around 57 percent of the vote, easily avoiding a runoff.

Live Blog: Rohani Declared Winner Of Iran Vote

Updated

-- Iranian officials have declared President Hassan Rohani winner of the May 19 vote with around 57 percent of ballots, easily avoiding a runoff against conservative former prosecutor Ebrahim Raisi, who was said to have received about 38.5 percent of votes cast.

-- In a victory speech, Rohani said the Iranian people were the "real victors" of the election and that Iran had chosen "engagement with the world" in voting for him, rejecting extremism. But as Rohani knows very well, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei holds ultimate political, military, and religious power in Iran, and can easily derail a campaign or thwart the plans of a president.

-- Six men were approved to run by the Guardians Council from more than 1,600 applicants, but it quickly boiled down to a two-man race between Raisi and Rohani, an establishment veteran who oversaw a breakthrough nuclear deal with world powers to ease sanctions and pushed for engagement with the West and greater openness for Iranians.

-- Raisi has long been talked about as a possible successor to Khamenei, and it's unclear what effect a landslide loss might have on his political ambitions.

*NOTE: Times are stated according to local time in Tehran (GMT +4 1/2)

10:25 19.5.2017

Supporters of Ebrahim Raisi post pictures of their voting ballots and the ink on their fingers on social media.

10:27 19.5.2017

Pictures of a group of Gonabadi dervishes who have voted for President Hassan Rohani. Dervishes have in past years come under intense pressure by hard-liners.

10:32 19.5.2017

Another essay on the Iranian election by Ali Vaez, a senior Iran analyst with the International Crisis Group (ICG).

10:42 19.5.2017

Iranian voters in Paris.

11:04 19.5.2017

Iranian double-Oscar winning film director Asghar Farhadi voted in Cannes. Farhadi has endorsed Hassan Rohani.

11:22 19.5.2017

Iran's eminent poet, Houshang Ebtehaj, also voted today:

11:24 19.5.2017

Iranian voter in Denmark:

11:27 19.5.2017

Sohrab Ahmari, an editorial writer for the Wall Street Journal, tells Iranians to boycott the vote.

11:35 19.5.2017

Former political prisoner Bahareh Hedayat is waiting in line to vote. Hedayat, who was released in September after spending nearly seven years in prison, has expressed support for President Rohani.

11:43 19.5.2017

Mohammad Ali Jafari, commander of the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) is seen waiting in line to vote. Some have expressed concern that the IRGC could interfere in the vote in favor of hard-line presidential candidate Ebrahim Raisi.

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