Preliminary results have placed a moderate cleric in the lead in Iran's presidential election as vote counting began on Saturday, reports said.
The pro-reform former nuclear negotiator Hassan Rowhani emerged with a strong margin over other six candidates, the main being the conservative Tehran mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf.
Polls closed on Friday. The turnout was high, estimated to be more than 70 percent, for the election held to find the successor for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Voting hours had to be extended.
An outright win for Rowhani would rule out any two-candidate runoff next Friday. The final result is expected late Saturday.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
Political News
June 05, 2026 16:18 ET A busy week for economic news flow saw a slew of reports being released that reflected the trends in the U.S. labor market. In Europe, economic growth and inflation data gained attention as the European Central Bank and Bank of England head for policy session later in the month. In Asia, the monetary policy session of the Indian central bank was in focus as the country, a major oil importer, reels under the pressures of a weaker rupee and rising inflation.