President Hassan Rouhani of Iran Will Run for a Second Term<br />By REUTERSAPRIL 14, 2017<br />ANKARA, Turkey — Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, who helped end the country’s diplomatic<br />and economic isolation with a landmark nuclear deal with major powers, registered on Friday to seek a second four-year term in the May 19 election.<br />He has held several sensitive jobs in the Islamic republic of Iran, including representing<br />Ayatollah Khamenei for 25 years at the Supreme National Security Council.<br />Despite remaining faithful to Iran’s theocratic system, Mr. Rouhani has angered hard-liners with his calls<br />for improved relations with the West, more freedom of expression and an easing of strict Islamic rules.<br />"People will vote for him to prevent a hard-liner from winning the election." Born into a religious family in 1948, Mr. Rouhani, a Shiite cleric, played an active role in the opposition<br />that overthrew the shah, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, in 1979.<br />Some erstwhile supporters who had hoped for radical social changes under his presidency<br />are also critical, saying he has failed to stand up to Iran’s religious establishment.<br />Mr. Rouhani is also a member of the Expediency Council<br />and the Assembly of Experts, two influential advisory bodies in Iran’s multitiered power structure.
