Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said Sunday he was "very pleased" voters backed moderate politicians in elections and that he hoped cooperation with his government would soon replace confrontation in parliament. At a press conference in Tehran, Rouhani, considered a moderate in Iran's political system which also encompasses factions of hard-line conservatives and reformists, praised the electorate for backing his allies at the ballot box in the February 26 polls.
The 67-year-old president has faced opposition in parliament, including on his landmark nuclear deal with world powers, and his officials have also been shouted down when addressing lawmakers.
"I am very pleased that mostly the moderate candidates made it to the parliament," Rouhani said.
"This means that the people of Iran have chosen moderation and opened that path. This is a message from the people to all officials" of the Islamic republic, he added, saying it paved the way for much brighter prospects than in recent years. The elections were a de-facto referendum on Rouhani's administration as the electorate could have delivered a stinging rebuke only one month after the nuclear deal was finally implemented and sanctions lifted in January. But instead many of those lawmakers who had hit out at the agreement, which reined in Iran's atomic ambitions in exchange for sanctions relief, lost their seats.
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