Iran's reformist President Hassan Rouhani has decisively won the country's presidential election, according to official results, fending off a challenge by principlist rival Ebrahim Raisi, reports Al Jazeera on Saturday (May 20).

With all of votes in Friday's poll counted, Rouhani was re-elected with 57 percent, said Iran Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmanifazli said.

"Of some 41.2 million total votes cast, Rouhani got 23.5 ... and won the election," Rahmanifazli said in remarks carried live by state TV of Iran.

Raisi, Rouhani's closest rival, got 15.8 million votes, he added.

A big turnout on Friday led to the vote being extended by several hours to deal with long queues.

Ebrahim Raisi, a conservative cleric, accused supporters of Rouhani of hundreds of acts of propaganda at voting booths, which are banned under electoral law, reports BBC.

Rouhani, 68, promised a moderate vision and an outward-looking Iran, and tied his success to the success of the nuclear deal brokered between Iran, the US and other countries in 2015.

US President Donald Trump opposes the deal, which eased sanctions on the Middle Eastern country, but his White House renewed it earlier this week.

BDST: 1615 HRS, MAY 20, 2017
SI