Hassan Rouhani, a moderate Iranian politician and former Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, also known as the Diplomat Sheikh, launched his presidential campaign in March 2013. He was earlier expected to withdraw and endorse Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani after he registered, but he returned to the race after Hashemi's disqualification. The symbol of Rouhani's campaign was a key and his slogan was "Government of Prudence and Hope." On 15 June, he was elected as the president with 18,613,329 votes.
