Judge Raisi to Win Iranian Presidential Race by Landslide, Preliminary Results Show

Iran’s Chief Justice Ebrahim Raisi has received 17.8 million votes out of 28.6 after around 90% of ballots counted, the elections office says.

Top judge of the Islamic Republic Ebrahim Raisi is expected to win the Iranian presidential election after receiving more than 50% of the votes counted, Jamal Orf, the head of the country’s election campaign, stated on Saturday.

“[A total of] 28.6 million of our compatriots voted. Taking into account that the vote count is still underway, this is preliminary data. At the same time, Ebrahim Raisi has received more than 17.8 million votes to date”, Orf said, as broadcast by Iranian television.

Outgoing Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has congratulated his successor on winning the elections during the in-person meeting, Rouhani’s spokesman said on Saturday.

“Congratulations to the people’s elect. Since it has not yet been officially announced, I will postpone the official salutes a little, taking into account the law. It is clear who received the required number of votes”, Rouhani said earlier in the day, expressing hope that in 45 days the winner will take up their presidential duties.

A dozen candidates had registered to run in the vote, and seven of them were later approved by Iran’s Guardian Council. President Rouhani was not eligible to join the race as he has already served two terms in office.

Raisi, who was Rouhani’s opponent during the previous election in 2017, repeatedly accused the incumbent president of being too soft on the US amid the political standoff between Washington and Tehran. However, the justice also expressed support for the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), given that Iran’s interests are not violated by the deal.