Reformists sweep Tehran municipal vote as Rouhani wins Iran election

Reformist candidates have swept municipal elections in the Iranian capital, taking all 21 seats in Tehran as moderate President Hassan Rouhani won a second term.

Iranian state television reported on Monday that Mohsen Hashemi Rafsanjani, a son of the influential late former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, won more than 1.7 million votes to come in first among the candidates.

The result means reformists can replace Tehran Mayor Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, who had been a presidential candidate before withdrawing to support hardline cleric Ebrahim Raisi.

Iranian municipal councils choose mayors and decide on budgets and development projects. Iranian media reports suggest reformists won big in other areas as well.

Rouhani decisively won a second term in Friday’s election with more than 57 percent of the vote.

On Saturday, Rouhani pledged to open Iran to the world and deliver freedoms its people have yearned for, throwing down a defiant challenge to his hardline opponents.

Rouhani, long known as a cautious and mild-mannered establishment insider, reinvented himself as a bold champion of reform during the election campaign.

In his first televised speech after the result, Rouhani appeared to openly defy conservative judges by praising the spiritual leader of the reform camp, former President Mohammad Khatami. A court has banned quoting or naming Khatami on air.

"Our nation's message in the election was clear: Iran's nation chose the path of interaction with the world, away from violence and extremism," Rouhani said.

“Today, Iran is standing taller than at any time before and is ready to expand its relations with the world based on mutual respect and national interests.  

Today, the world knows that Iranians have chosen the path of interaction with the world away from extremism and violence.”