Iran's President-Elect Urges National Unity After Divisive Poll

Iran's hard-line president-elect Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called for national unity after winning a presidential election that split the country along class lines.

In his first public statement Saturday, since official results were announced, Mr. Ahmadinejad said he aims to make Iran a "modern, advanced and Islamic" role model for the world.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei congratulated the president-elect, saying Iran's enemies had been humiliated by the outcome of the election.

Final results show Mr. Ahmadinejad won 62 percent of the vote in Friday's runoff election, against 36 percent for former president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.

Analysts say Mr. Ahmadinejad earned the support of the religious urban and rural poor, while Mr. Rafsanjani drew heavy support from wealthier Iranians fearful his opponent would enforce strict Islamic moral codes and further isolate Iran from the West.

Some information for this report provided by AP and Reuters.