Iranian elections 2021: Raisi’s rivals accepted as expected Results Middle East News

Conservative justice chief Raisi, who is believed to have won by a wide margin, has not yet been officially named the winner.

Three of the four candidates for the Iranian presidential election have admitted defeat before the Interior Ministry announced official results.

According to initial reports, the conservative judiciary Ebrahim Raisi made a big difference. Raisi, backed by top leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei, was seen as a pioneer in Friday’s election due to low turnout and the disqualification of many candidates.

Moderate candidate Abdolnaser Hemmati has congratulated Raisi for winning the election. “I hope that your government, under the leadership of the supreme leader Ali Khamenei aiatolaah, will bring comfort and prosperity to our nation,” the former head of central bank Hemmati said in a letter, state media reported on Saturday.

Raisi did not immediately accept Hemmati’s concession, nor did Mohsen Rezaei’s former commander of the Revolutionary Guard, who also accepted a loss.

Amir Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi, another conservative candidate, explicitly congratulated Raisi.

“Congratulations … Raisi, elected by the nation,” Hashemi was quoted as saying by the Iranian media.

In a televised speech, outgoing President Hassan Rouhani congratulated “the elected representatives of the people [president]”, Without naming him.

“As it has not yet been officially announced, I will postpone the congratulations to the officers. But it’s clear who received the votes, ”Rouhani said.

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