In what could be the making of a surprise victory over favoured hardliners, moderate cleric Hassan Rohani (pictured) today took a solid lead over conservative rivals in preliminary vote counting in Iran's Presidential election.
The outcome is unlikely to transform relations between Iran and the outside world, its disputed policy on developing nuclear power or its support of Syria's president in the civil war there - all sensitive security matters that are the domain of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. But the president does wield important influence in decision-making in the sprawling Shi'ite Muslim nation and major OPEC state and could bring a change from the confrontational style of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was constitutionally barred from seeking a third consecutive term.
Rohani's wide early margin revealed a major reservoir of pro-reform sentiment whereby many voters seized a chance to repudiate the dominant hardline elite over Iran's economic woes, international isolation and crackdowns on personal freedoms, despite restrictions on candidate choice and campaigning.
If he wins, Rohani, a former chief nuclear negotiator known for his conciliatory approach, has signalled he will promote a foreign policy based on "constructive interaction with the world" and enact a "civil rights charter" at home.
In an apparent attempt to convey political continuity, Khamenei said that whatever the result of Friday's election, it would be a vote of confidence in the 34-year-old Islamic Republic.
