The election of Hassan Rohani brought Iranians into the streets to celebrate his victory, who expect the moderate Rohani to live up to his promises of better relations abroad and more freedom at home.
Rohani is a mid-ranking Shi’ite cleric and Islamic Republic insider, who has held senior political and military posts in the middle east nation for several decades. He also enjoys a very good relationship with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s most powerful man who has the last word on all big issues.
Rohani gained the backing of the people by calling for an end to the “era of extremism,” which included crackdowns on free speech that were prevalent during the Mahmoud Ahmadinejad presidency.
Western nations consider Rohani’s election as a possible game changer. Immediately following his victory, Rohani sought to build bridges by expressing approval of the street parties and agreeing to talks with the conservative speaker of parliament.
“With their celebrations last night, the Iranian people showed they are hopeful about the future and God willing, morals and moderation will govern the country,” Rohani told state TV.
"Western nations consider Rohani's election as a possible game changer."
Uh-huh. The key word being "POSSIBLE" game changer….
…because just as DJ correctly points out in his post, the REAL power still rests in the hands of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, "Iran's most powerful man who has the last word on all big issues."
In short: Only time will tell whether this marks any real shift (positive or negative).