Hardline Tehran Mayor Mahmood Ahmadinejad swept to a shock landslide victory in Iran's presidential election yesterday, spelling an end to years of hard-fought social reform and setting the Islamic republic on a collision course with the West.
Iran's all-powerful supreme leader boasted that the US had been "humiliated deep inside" by the election, which saw moderate cleric Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani -- who was in favor of resuming dialogue with Washington -- trounced by Ahmadinejad.
A self-proclaimed fundamentalist seeking a return to the moral "purity" of the early years of the Islamic revolution, Ahmadinejad vowed he would "build up an exemplary, developed and powerful Islamic society."
"I am highly proud because I received people's kindness and trust," the 49-year-old president-elect told state media. "Today, all competition should turn into friendship. We are part of a big family that should go hand in hand to build our proud Iran."
Final results gave Ahmadinejad 61.69 percent against Rafsanjani's 35.92 percent. Turnout of the 46.8 million eligible voters was reported at 59.72 percent, slightly lower than last week's first round of the vote.
Ahmadinejad's controversial victory leaves anti-Western ultra-conservatives in complete control of every elected and unelected institution in Iran and effectively slams the door on any chance of reconciliation with the US.
Rafsanjani had promised to press on with detente and reforms. His embarrassing defeat could end his long political career and remove a moderating influence within the 26-year-old theocracy.
The US was quick to scorn Iran's choice.
"We have seen nothing that dissuades us from our view that Iran is out of step with the rest of the region and the currents of freedom and liberty," State Department spokeswoman Joanne Moore said.
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw also said there were "serious deficiencies" in the election process, noting that "many candidates, including all the women, were barred from standing by an unelected body."
Ahmadinejad will become the first non-cleric to hold Iran's presidency since 1981, a fact of little meaning to those who fear he will take away social liberties that have been gained in the past eight years.
He has insisted that freedom in Iran "is already beyond what could be imagined."
Iran's religious right has been angered over the "decadence" seen under outgoing President Mohammad Khatami, such as an easing of the strict Islamic dress code, unmarried couples flirting in the streets, increased foreign involvement in the economy and a less radical approach to international affairs.
They have also been urging a more confrontational stance in an already tense nuclear stand-off with the international community.
"The right wing now has total control. They are not necessarily the kind of people who want a deal," a senior Western diplomat said.
Last week, French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy warned that British, French and German efforts to convince Iran to give up bomb-making technology was "at stake" in the election.
The election was seen as the most critical since the 1979 Islamic revolution, and a spat over alleged fraud exposed deep divisions at the top of the regime.
Rafsanjani and two beaten reformist candidates alleged that Ahmadinejad's shock first-round vote success earlier this month came thanks to orchestrated fraud carried by well-financed hardline regime elements such as the Guardians Council, the Basij militia and Revolutionary Guards.
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