Hard-line cleric Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati was elected to head Iran's Assembly of Experts May 24 with 51 of the assembly members' 86 votes. Jannati will head the body tasked with picking the supreme leader for two years before another round of elections.
Ayatollah Ebrahim Amini, who was the favored candidate among the Reformist media in this morning’s newspapers, came in second with 21 votes. According to Reformist newspaper Arman Daily, Amini was “the closest figure to Rafsanjani’s moderation and political platform.” Shargh Daily reported that “Amini’s chances are higher than the other choices” to head the assembly.