In his first public statement since his landslide victory, Iran's President-elect Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Saturday he seeks to create a "modern, advanced, powerful and Islamic" model for the world. He made these remarks in a taped statement, which was broadcast on state-run radio. "Let's convert competition to friendship. We are all a nation and a big family," he said. "My mission is creating a role model of a modern, advanced, powerful and Islamic society," he said in the short message broadcast shortly after the announcement of final results. The results, announced on state television, gave Ahmadinejad 61.6 percent of the vote over Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani's 35.9 percent. The rest of the ballots were deemed invalid. Nearly 28 million ballots were cast, or more than 59 percent of Iran's approximately 47 million eligible voters. In last week's election, the turnout was close to 63 percent. The victory gives conservatives control of Iran's two highest elected offices _ the presidency and parliament, The Associated Press reported.
