Iranian President Hassan Rouhani considered that the Revolutionary Guards are a guarantee for peace and stability in the region during a speech after announcing his re-election as Iran’s president for the second time.
“We are proud of our armed forces, the Revolutionary Guards, the Basij and the security forces, we consider their strength as a guarantee for peace and stability in the region, the security and the well-being of our people,” he said in his televised speech directed to the Iranian people.
“Participating in the elections brought the country out of a state of cessation and uncertainty, placed it on the path of continuous development and progress,” Rouhani added.
Increasing interference and terrorism
Rouhani’s remarks came amid increased IRGC interference and support for terrorism in the region. Deputy Commander of the Revolutionary Guards, General Hassan Salami, stated on April 22 that he would continue to support terrorist militias in the region - under the banner “supporting the Islamic resistance outside the borders” - in response to US calls to place the Revolutionary Guards on the list of terrorist organizations.
Rouhani increased Iran’s budget this year by 24%, adding $14 billion to the defense budget, of which 53% went to the Revolutionary Guards.
Guards commanders announced that most of the budget would go to increasing missile production and development, as a step to gain the support of the IRGC and supporting movements ahead of the presidential election.
Rouhani’s second term
The Iranian Interior Ministry announced that Rouhani had won a second term. According to the results, he received 23 million and 549,616 votes, or 57% of the total votes.
The participation rate in the elections was almost 70%, nearly 41 million citizens participated in the elections, and the total number of votes counted in the official announcement is 41,220,131 votes.
The other two candidates, Mustafa Merslim, got 47,815 votes, and Mustafa Hashmi Tabba ranked last with 21,550 votes.
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