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Is Iranian parliament warming up to Rouhani?

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani appears to be the winner following Ali Larijani's re-election as Iran's parliament speaker for the third time.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani speaks during a news conference in Beirut December 22, 2014. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir  (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR4IZ02

TEHRAN, Iran — On May 29, Ali Larijani was overwhelmingly re-elected parliament speaker for the third time. However, on a closer look, it appears that moderate President Hassan Rouhani is the victor.

The election only featured two candidates: moderate Principlist Larijani and Reformist Mohammad Reza Aref. Given their shared views on many matters, the Reformists tried to reach an agreement with Larijani. Yet the other side was apparently not willing to negotiate. On May 25, just four days before the vote, Aref said, “We didn’t reach a conclusion on having interaction with the other side about the speakership.”

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