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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Hassan Rouhani has the momentum in Iran Prez Election |
| 2013-06-14 |
| Since 21 May, when the guardian council announced the eight approved presidential candidates – excluding two prominent figures, the former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, a close ally of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad – the campaign had appeared to rouse little public interest. According to a journalist in Tehran, that has changed in the capital. "You will not believe the election buzz in Tehran today. Everyone is talking about elections and who to vote for and everyone is advocating for [Hassan] Rouhani and trying to convince people to vote for him." The campaign of the relatively moderate Rouhani, who served as chief nuclear negotiator under the reformist former president Mohammad Khatami, received a boost on Tuesday when Mohammad Reza Aref, Khatami's senior vice-president, bowed out of the race. Later in the day Rouhani received explicit endorsements from both Khatami and Rafsanjani. Of the popular mood swing that followed, the Tehran journalist said, "I never saw this coming. Everyone was so without hope and talking about not ever voting again, and this morning things have changed 180 degrees. It's like someone put something in the water last night and this morning people are just different." |
| Posted by:lord garth |