How they see it

Iran's presidential election

Outgoing Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (left) shakes hands with President elect Hasan Rowhani. Photo: AP

1. The Washington Post

Hassan Rowhani will be Iran's next president not only because he was picked by a majority of Iranian voters, but also because supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei chose to accept his victory. That decision surprised us but in retrospect there was good reason. Had the Islamic regime falsified the results and blocked Rowhani, it would have risked a repeat of the popular uprising that followed the 2009 election. … The poll showed that a majority of Iranians continues to yearn for a freer society and reject the reactionary policies of Khamenei and his clique of hard-line clerics. If Rowhani is not allowed to take steps to answer those aspirations, both he and the regime could face another popular challenge. Washington

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