Rouhani Congratulates Mahathir on Election Victory

President Hassan Rouhani extended good wishes to Mahathir Mohamad on his election  victory as Malaysia’s new prime minister.

In a message Friday, Rouhani congratulated the 92-year-old politician–who also ruled the country from 1981 until 2003–on his remarkable comeback to politics.

“I am certain that in your upcoming term as prime minister, mutual relations between Iran and Malaysia will continue to grow as in the past, with growing cooperation in various fields in line with unity within the Islamic Ummah,” Rouhani said, his official website reported.

Mahathir, who governed the Southeast Asian nation for 22 years, came out of retirement–this time around as an opposition figure–to challenge the incumbent in the country’s 14th general election.

The coalition of the veteran politician, known as the architect of modern Malaysia, won 121 seats, enough to form a simple majority and take control of the House. Barisan Nasional, the coalition that has led the country since independence in 1963, only won 79 seats, a far cry from the 133 it won in the 2013 election.