Iran ceremony begins for Rowhani to assume presidency
8/3/2013 4:02:37 PM
Hassan Rowhani was set to assume Iran's presidency at a ceremony underway on Saturday in Tehran at which he is to be formally endorsed by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The moderate, 64-year-old cleric begins his term as the Islamic republic's seventh president facing grave challenges abroad and at home over Iran's ailing economy and isolation resulting from the controversial policies of his predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
His public inauguration will take place on Sunday when he takes oath of office before the parliament.
Rowhani defeated a league of conservative rivals in the June 14 election. He campaigned on a promise to resolve tensions with world powers and shore up the economy hit hard by severe international sanctions over Tehran's controversial nuclear ambitions.
The moderate, 64-year-old cleric begins his term as the Islamic republic's seventh president facing grave challenges abroad and at home over Iran's ailing economy and isolation resulting from the controversial policies of his predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
His public inauguration will take place on Sunday when he takes oath of office before the parliament.
Rowhani defeated a league of conservative rivals in the June 14 election. He campaigned on a promise to resolve tensions with world powers and shore up the economy hit hard by severe international sanctions over Tehran's controversial nuclear ambitions.