Iran Ultraconservative Cleric Ebrahim Raisi Named Presidential Election Winner

Ebrahim Raisi, 60, takes over from Hassan Rouhani in August as Iran seeks to salvage its tattered nuclear deal with major powers and free itself from punishing US sanctions that have driven a sharp economic downturn.

Congratulations poured in for ultraconservative Ebrahim Raisi Saturday on winning Iran's presidential election as his rivals conceded even before official results were announced. The other three candidates in the race all congratulated him for his victory, which had been widely expected after a host of heavyweight rivals had been barred from running. "I congratulate the people on their choice," said outgoing moderate President Hassan Rouhani without naming Raisi. "My official congratulations will come later, but we know who got enough votes in this election and who is elected today by the people." The other two ultraconservative candidates -- Mohsen Rezai and Amirhossein Qazizadeh Hashemi -- explicitly congratulated Raisi, as did the only reformist in the race, former central bank governor Abdolnasser Hemmati.