TEHRAN – The Guardian Council has confirmed the result of the presidential election which was held on May 19, the Iranian Interior Ministry announced on Tuesday night.

“Minutes ago, the Guardian Council’s letter confirming the validity of the 12th presidential election was received,” Interior Ministry spokesman Salman Samani was quoted by Press TV as saying.

In the letter, the Secretary of the Guardian Council Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati verified the polls despite reports and complaints about the election process, Samani noted.

He added that some of the received complaints of irregularities in the electoral process before and on the day of voting had been sent to the judiciary for further investigation.

According to final results, 41,220,131 voted from a registered electorate of 56,410,234.

Hassan Rouhani, the incumbent president, was re-elected in a landslide, with 23,549,616 votes or 57 percent of the total ballots.

Rouhani’s main rival, principlist candidate Ebrahim Raeisi, secured 15,786,449 votes or 38.5 percent of the ballots.

Six candidates had been approved to run for president after they were vetted by the Guardian Council – a 12-member body responsible for overseeing elections and confirming their results in addition to vetting candidates.

MH/PA