Iranian American journalist Jason Rezaian, in a Op-ed for Washington Post highlights the problems a President faces when confronting the Supreme Leader. Rezaian who was WaPo’s Tehran Bureau chief when detained and was imprisoned for more than 500 days writes: “At the core of Khamenei’s struggle with his presidents is the question of the Islamic republic’s future. Will it stick to its ideological roots and remain insular and disconnected from the world in fundamental ways? Or will it open to international relations, increasing trade and allowing for greater personal freedoms for its citizens? The latter is seemingly the will of Iran’s people, who, when they turn out to vote in local and national elections, choose moderate candidates over hard-line ones — at least three of the four presidents who followed Khamenei prove that.”
As the unofficial numbers spread throughout the social media, IRNA quotes a source saying the gradual announcement of results will begin in an hour adding that announcement of unofficial numbers are "unlawful".
Dozens of voters turned to social media after casting their ballot for Hassan Rouhani, and announced that while they voted for Rouhani, they thought of Mir Hossien Mousavi, 2009 presidential election candidate, currently under house arrest. Mousavi and wife Zahra Rahnavard also voted on Friday for Hassan Rouhani. During the campaign, chants of support for them was heard wherever Rouhani showed up. Voters demanded the release of Mousavi, Rahnavard and Mehdi Karrubi, other 2009 candidate also under house arrest.
Guardian's Saeed Kamali Dehghan writes: "Given prediction of a high turnout, and the fact that four of Rouhani’s predecessors all served two consecutive terms in office, one would think Rouhani could be fairly confident about the election’s outcome. But with such high stakes this round, particularly as the question of the supreme leader’s succession gets serious, Iran’s political future looks uncertain."