President sends Rouhani best wishes on re-election
President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message on Saturday to his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani on his re-election to a second fouryear term as Iran’s president.
Noting that he attaches great importance to ChinaIran relations, Xi said that he is willing to work together with Rouhani to push forward the development of the bilateral ties.
Rouhani won the presidential election with 57 percent of the vote, the Interior Ministry announced on Saturday. He said in a televised speech on Saturday that by voting for him, Iranians have chosen the course of interaction and said “no to violence and extremism” in the world.
Xi said in his message that Iran has made new socio-economic achievements over the past four years under Rouhani’s leadership and that the development of the ChinaIran relationship has maintained sound momentum thanks to the two countries’ joint efforts.
Recalling his state visit to Teheran in January 2016 and the in-depth talks he had with Rouhani during that trip, Xi noted that they have reached important consensus on bilateral ties.
During Xi’s visit to Iran, the first in 14 years by a Chinese head of state, the two countries agreed to elevate their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership to boost cooperation on all fronts and carry forward their millennia-old friendship.
China is Iran’s largest trading partner and its largest crude oil market. During Xi’s visit, the two countries signed a number of documents to cooperate in such areas as infrastructure, energy, finance, investment and news media.
Jin Yong, a professor of international relations at Communication University of China in Beijing, said Iran has geographic advantages to boost its Belt and Road cooperation with China amid Beijing’s efforts to increase interconnectivity in the world.
Iran is close to the Strait of Hormuz, a key maritime channel, and home of the port of Bandar Abbas, one of the largest in the Gulf region, he said.
According to the Chinese embassy to Iran, the two countries have made progress on Belt and Road cooperation regarding in particular a large number of construction projects contracted by Chinese companies in Iran.
As of September, Chinese companies have contracted at least 136 projects in such areas as transportation, energy, steel, and petroleum chemistry in Iran, worth a total of $32.74 billion.
TEHERAN — Iran’s incumbent moderate President Hassan Rouhani won the presidential election by garnering 57 percent of the votes, the Interior Ministry announced on Saturday.
Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli said that out of 41,220,131 counted votes, which account for 99.7 percent of the total votes cast in Friday’s election, Rouhani secured 23,549,616 votes, or 57 percent.
His conservative challenger Ebrahim Raisi lagged behind with 15,786,449 votes, amounting to 38.5 percent of the vote.
Hardliners had been perceived as having great advantages against the moderates just days before the election, however, Rouhani jumpstarted his chances by raising the banner of reform during the final stage of his campaign, which echoed Iranians’ ardent desire for change.
According to the law, the candidates have three days to file complaints about the results of the election with Iran’s Guardian Council of Constitution, Rahmani Fazli added.
The council, as the high legislative body of the country, will ultimately confirm the results of Iran’s presidential election.
On Saturday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei thanked the nation for the “mass turnout” in the election on Friday.
Khamenei described it as an “epic” and said the high turnout proved the strength of the foundations of “Islamic democracy” in the country.
The Iranian leader urged the president and his administration to actively work and endeavor to solve the country’s problems.
On Saturday, Rouhani said that Iran would continue its interaction with the international community and is ready to expand cooperation with other countries.
By voting for him, Iranians have chosen the course of interaction and said “no to violence and extremism” in the world, Rouhani said in a televised speech.
The Iranians have chosen to live in peace with their neighbors and the world, he said, adding that Iran will not accept “humiliation and threats”.
He also said that he is ready to work with his rivals inside the country to implement his programs in the next administration.
Rouhani’s landslide win stemmed from a large turnout of voters who saw him as the best choice to translate their hopes into real changes in Iran’s domestic and foreign policies.
In a Twitter massage on Saturday, Rouhani also thanked his supporters, saying that “I will stick to my promises for you.”