Iran’s voters have rewarded President Hassan Rouhani and his allies for the nuclear deal his government struck with the West which ended years of stiff sanctions. The twin polls held on Friday, for the parliament and the clerical assembly of experts, were seen as a test for Rouhani who had sought reelection for a continuation of his policies and to finish the task he has undertaken by signing the nuclear agreement. Hardliners were roundly trumped by the reformists and Rouhani secured a more moderate parliament. At the same time, it can’t be called a sweeping victory for the ruling party and its allies. Final results showed seats being shared three ways between Rouhani’s reformist and moderate allies, conservatives and independents. No single group has mustered a decisive share of parliament’s 290 seats, though the president will be able to create a working majority by winning the support of those who back his policies.
The capital city gave its unstinting support to the president, with 15 of 16 members of the assembly’s list in Tehran headed by Rouhani and his top ally Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani getting elected.
The results bring joy to reformists and centrists, and Iranians are happy that their country is taking a new turn. Rouhani can now pursue his economic liberalisation agenda to attract investment to boost growth and create jobs for millions of Iranians and bring down inflation. The reformists were also able to consolidate their position with the current elections after suffering many setbacks in the past. Reformists had stayed away from parliamentary elections four years ago in protest at Ahmadinejad’s earlier victory and there were allegations of vote-rigging.
Our region too will be looking at Rouhani’s new term with hope. On the foreign policy front, the new government must follow the path of reconciliation and non-interference to bring security and stability to this region. With a number of conflicts raging in the Middle East, the need for non-interference has become stronger than before. An increase in tension will be equally harmful to all. Rouhani and his government would need peace and stability to fulfill their objectives of economic development and political reforms.
As a moderate, Rouhani is in a better position to improve ties with the Gulf region. The West, which has started queuing up in Tehran for a slice of the huge economic cake being thrown up after the lifting of sanctions, should use their rapprochement with a former foe to persuade it to foster peace and harmony. The IAEA and signatories to the nuclear agreement must also strictly monitor Iran’s adherence to the nuclear agreement to prevent a clandestine development of nuclear weapons.
Iran’s voters have rewarded President Hassan Rouhani and his allies for the nuclear deal his government struck with the West which ended years of stiff sanctions. The twin polls held on Friday, for the parliament and the clerical assembly of experts, were seen as a test for Rouhani who had sought reelection for a continuation of his policies and to finish the task he has undertaken by signing the nuclear agreement. Hardliners were roundly trumped by the reformists and Rouhani secured a more moderate parliament. At the same time, it can’t be called a sweeping victory for the ruling party and its allies. Final results showed seats being shared three ways between Rouhani’s reformist and moderate allies, conservatives and independents. No single group has mustered a decisive share of parliament’s 290 seats, though the president will be able to create a working majority by winning the support of those who back his policies.
The capital city gave its unstinting support to the president, with 15 of 16 members of the assembly’s list in Tehran headed by Rouhani and his top ally Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani getting elected.
The results bring joy to reformists and centrists, and Iranians are happy that their country is taking a new turn. Rouhani can now pursue his economic liberalisation agenda to attract investment to boost growth and create jobs for millions of Iranians and bring down inflation. The reformists were also able to consolidate their position with the current elections after suffering many setbacks in the past. Reformists had stayed away from parliamentary elections four years ago in protest at Ahmadinejad’s earlier victory and there were allegations of vote-rigging.
Our region too will be looking at Rouhani’s new term with hope. On the foreign policy front, the new government must follow the path of reconciliation and non-interference to bring security and stability to this region. With a number of conflicts raging in the Middle East, the need for non-interference has become stronger than before. An increase in tension will be equally harmful to all. Rouhani and his government would need peace and stability to fulfill their objectives of economic development and political reforms.
As a moderate, Rouhani is in a better position to improve ties with the Gulf region. The West, which has started queuing up in Tehran for a slice of the huge economic cake being thrown up after the lifting of sanctions, should use their rapprochement with a former foe to persuade it to foster peace and harmony. The IAEA and signatories to the nuclear agreement must also strictly monitor Iran’s adherence to the nuclear agreement to prevent a clandestine development of nuclear weapons.
