Ahmadinejad defiant about result of Iranian election

Denis Irwin

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has defended his "completely free" re-election as Iran's president, amid violent clashes on the streets over claims of election fraud. Mr Ahmadinejad condemned the outside world for "psychological warfare" against Iranians during the election.
Thousands have protested against the result, burning barricades on the streets of Tehran and clashing with police, who responded with tear gas.
Reformist candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi urged his supporters to avoid violence.

'Down with the dictator'
Speaking on national television, Mr Ahmadinejad praised the Iranian people for choosing to "look toward the future" rather than returning to the past.
"This is a great victory at a time and condition when the whole material, political and propaganda facilities outside of Iran and sometimes... inside Iran, were total mobilised against our people," he said.
He blamed "foreign media" for instigating a "full-fledged fight against our people".
"Nearly 40 million people took part in a totally free election," he said.
However, the official result, which gave Mr Ahmadinejad a resounding victory - 63% of the vote against 34% for Mr Mousavi - brought the worst violence seen in Tehran for a decade, correspondents said.
The BBC's John Simpson saw secret policemen being attacked and chased away by protesters, which he says is extremely rare.
Some of the protesters in Tehran wore Mr Mousavi's campaign colour of green and chanted "Down with the dictator", news agencies report.
Four police motorbikes were set on fire near the interior ministry, where votes had been counted, our correspondent says.
Interior Minister Sadeq Mahsouli warned that any demonstrations needed official permission, and none had been given.
One opposition newspaper has been closed down and BBC websites also appear to have been blocked by the Iranian authorities. The AP news agency reports that mobile phone services have been blocked in Tehran.

Ayatollah's call

Mr Mousavi urged calm in his website statement.
"The violations in the election are very serious and you are right to be deeply hurt," he said.
"But I firmly call on you not to subject any individual or groups to hurt."
Mr Mousavi earlier said the election was a "charade".
"I personally strongly protest the many obvious violations and I'm warning I will not surrender to this dangerous charade.
"The result of such performance by some officials will jeopardise the pillars of the Islamic Republic and will establish tyranny."
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who wields ultimate power, urged all Iranians "including yesterday's competitors" to support the re-elected president.
He described the count as a "real celebration", praised the high turnout of 85% and called for calm. "Enemies may want to spoil the sweetness of this event... with some kind of ill-intentioned provocations," the ayatollah said.
Mr Mousavi had been hoping to prevent Mr Ahmadinejad winning more than 50% of the vote, in order to force a run-off election.
The BBC's Jon Leyne in Tehran says the result has been greeted with surprise and with deep scepticism by many Iranians.
The figures, if they are to be believed, show Mr Ahmadinejad winning strongly even in the heartland of Mr Mousavi.
Our correspondent says Mr Ahmadinejad will feel emboldened in his global vision that foresees the death of capitalism, while at home, many Iranians will fear a clamp down on society and cultural life.

Surge of interest
There had been a surge of interest in Iran's presidential election, with unprecedented live television debates between the candidates and rallies attended by thousands.

There were long queues at polling stations on Friday, with turnout reaching 85%.
Four candidates contested the election, with Mohsen Razai and Mehdi Karroubi only registering about 1% of the vote each.
Iran is ruled under a system known as Velayat-e Faqih, or "Rule by the Supreme Jurist", who is currently Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
It was adopted by an overwhelming majority in 1979 following the Islamic revolution which overthrew the autocratic Western-backed Shah.
But the constitution also stipulates that the people are the source of power and the country holds phased presidential and parliamentary elections every four years.
All candidates are vetted by the powerful conservative-controlled Guardian Council, which also has the power to veto legislation it deems inconsistent with revolutionary principles

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8099115.stm

Something definitely fishy about this result seeing as how most independent observers had this being a tight race and probably going to a second round of voting.

jimmycrackcorm

Seeing as he won a landslide victory, is it not entirely possible that the viewpoint is being distorted by outside and foreign influences?

DarkJager

Outside media distortion still would not explain how he won by a landslide. If Mousavi did have the majority of the youth vote, he would certainly be on level pegging with Ahmadinejad. Of course, its not surprising if the vote has been rigged, we all know how these eastern europeans countries like to keep the people who are leading them into the path of annihilation, in power.

Manic Moran

Something definitely fishy about this result seeing as how most independent observers had this being a tight race and probably going to a second round of voting.

It wouldn't be the first time that the pre-election polls somewhere had been wrong.

Unless independent observers have found something fishy with the actual voting and counting process, there's not much more to discuss. Besides, given that the real power in the country isn't elected anyway, there's not much reason to rig the vote. Regardless of who wins the election, the Supreme Council and the Ayatollah are in charge.

NTM

nesf

Manic Moran wrote: »

Unless independent observers have found something fishy with the actual voting and counting process, there's not much more to discuss.

It would depend of course on how much access was granted to these observers.

irish_bob

maybe the iranian you are not as liberal as we think , in many muslim countries , the youth are more radical than the older generations

jank

Can you provide examples Irish_Bob?

Younger people are generally more liberal than older people. That is the norm unless a regime itself has distorted their view e.g. Mao's Cultural revolution.

brianthebard

DarkJager wrote: »

Outside media distortion still would not explain how he won by a landslide. If Mousavi did have the majority of the youth vote, he would certainly be on level pegging with Ahmadinejad.

outside media distortion of the initial polls and tight race? I hate this idea that the youth of a country are one homogenous voting block, people need to realise demographics aren't real.

Of course, its not surprising if the vote has been rigged, we all know how these eastern europeans countries like to keep the people who are leading them into the path of annihilation, in power.

Riiiiight.....do you actually know where Iran is?

Nodin

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

Seeing as he won a landslide victory, is it not entirely possible that the viewpoint is being distorted by outside and foreign influences?

Well, if it had been by a smaller margin I don't think anyone would have been suprised - all the indications were that it was a tight race. The scale of the victory is what makes it somewhat suspect.

Sand

Its probably a good thing overall. If Mousavi had been elected it might have totally splintered any international concensus on Iran. With Ahmadinejad still in power, it removes that risk. Also, the internal dissent within Iran that results from this is'nt a bad thing. The clerical regime is aligned with Ahmadinejad so, if hes unpopular that will hopefully rub off.

Other than that the results dont really matter. Iran is a theocracy. The president is a figurehead. The real leadership are the clerics. The elections are fairly unimportant.

were there any independent exit polls and how were polls going before the election?

Firetrap

It's hard to know what's going on there. I really hope the USA doesn't attempt to poke its nose into the matter. Let the Iranians sort it out for themselves if it does need to be sorted.

mike65

Looks like its all going to go up in flames for a while, which might encourage outside intervention at some level, or on other other hand it might mean sitting back and seeing what happens. Could be that this "victory" is an entirely pyrrhic one.

wes

Looks like we are stuck with the rants and ravings of Ahmadinejad for a few years :mad:.

mike65

There seems to be some momentum gathering, could get interesting.

Funglegunk

Some amazing videos of the protests in Tehran on youtube. Andrew Sullivan is all over it here.

Lirange

It could be that the pre election polls were just poorly administered. Mousavi was even up by double digits in a few of the latest reports. But that aside it seems strange that even the conservative islamist paper in Tehran had predicted a narrow victory for Mousavi. Also there seems to be disbelief that Ahmadinejad would be capable of approaching that margin even when he was at the zenith of his popularity. It would be one thing if this was just the western media voicing doubts. But there does seem to be widespread confusion and shock in Iran apart from the angry partisans.

Gholimoli

this was rigged no doubt abou it...
the only hope Iranians have now is Rafsanjani.
he is the only one who has the power and has enough dirt on every one ,to make any changes.

other than that i really dont see all of this leading any where TBH.
over the past 30 years there have been many of these protests ,for one reason or a another,and as you can see,here we are yet again with another one.

Denis Irwin

Gunfire at Iranian protest rallly:

Shots have been fired at a rally in Iran where hundreds of thousands of people were demonstrating against the result of last week's election. Unconfirmed reports said one protester was killed when security forces opened fire.
The crowd had been addressed by beaten candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, who believes the vote was fixed in favour of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Mr Ahmadinejad has dismissed the claims and says the vote was fair.
The BBC's Jon Leyne, in Tehran, says Monday's rally was the biggest demonstration in the Islamic republic's 30-year history and described it as a "political earthquake".

The government had outlawed any protest following two days of unrest, with the interior ministry warning that "any disrupter of public security would be dealt with according to the law".
Despite this, correspondents said riot police had been watching the rally during the afternoon and had seemed to be taking no action.
But reports at 2045 local time (1615 GMT) said shots were being fired.
"There has been sporadic shooting out there... I can see people running here," Reuters quoted a reporter of Iran's Press TV as saying from Tehran's Azadi Square.
"A number of people who are armed, I don't know exactly who they are, but they have started to fire on people causing havoc in Azadi Square."
A photographer at the scene told news agencies that security forces had killed one protester and seriously wounded several others.
He said the shooting began when the crowd attacked a compound used by a religious militia linked to the country's powerful Revolutionary Guard.
The AFP news agency reported that police fired tear gas and groups of protestors set motorbikes alight.

Ayatollah's intervention
Earlier, the demonstrators had gathered in Tehran's Revolution Square, chanting pro-Mousavi slogans, before marching to Azadi Square.
"Mousavi we support you. We will die, but retrieve our votes," they shouted, many wearing the green of Mousavi's election campaign.

And Mr Mousavi eventually appeared, addressing the crowd from the roof of his car.
"The vote of the people is more important than Mousavi or any other person," he told his supporters.
His wife, Zahra Rahnavard, a high-profile supporter of her husband's campaign, later said they would keep up their protests. "We will stand until the end," she told the AFP.
The renewed protests come after Mr Mousavi and fellow defeated candidate Mohsen Rezai filed official complaints against the election result with the Guardian Council - the country's powerful clerical group.

State television reported that supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has upheld the election result, urged the Guardian Council to "precisely consider" the complaints.
A spokesman for the 12-member council said they would meet Mr Mousavi and Mr Rezai on Tuesday. They are expected to decide on the complaints by next week.
Dozens of opposition activists have been arrested since the protests began, while internet sites appear to have been blocked and the media heavily restricted.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was following the situation closely.
"The position of me and the United Nations is that the genuine will of the Iranian people should be fully respected," he told reporters.
EU foreign ministers expressed "serious concern" and called for an inquiry into the conduct of the election, while France and Germany each summoned their Iranian ambassadors to explain what was going on.


German Chancellor Angela Merkel criticised the use of "completely unacceptable" force against protesters.
"We are worried about the limitations of media coverage and we believe there should be a transparent evaluation of the election result. There are signs of irregularities," she said.
Groups of Ahmadinejad supporters gathered outside French and British embassies in Tehran, protesting against what they consider to be foreign interference in Iran's affairs.
"We have gathered here to protest the hidden interference of the Brits and the world, who are trying to create chaos in our country," one protester said.
Among the countries congratulating Mr Ahmadinejad on his victory were Iraq, Afghanistan, Venezuela and North Korea.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8101098.stm

Looks like Mousavi isn't going to take this lying down.

Dr. Baltar

Would love to see a UN run election. Seems to me like it's the only fair conclusion to this.

ro2

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/06/irans_disputed_election.html

jill_valentine

I'm surprised at the deafening silence on Boards about this...?

Manic Moran

Would love to see a UN run election. Seems to me like it's the only fair conclusion to this.

That will go over like a lead balloon in most countries. I can't imagine many UN members voting for it.

I'm surprised at the deafening silence on Boards about this...?

Not really much to discuss right now. It's a game of 'he said, she said,' and seems to be an internal Iranian problem anyway. One of three things is liable to happen.

1) Guardian Council rules the elections fair. Opposition supporters eventually give in to their fate, peace and tranquility (such as it is) returns to Iran.
2) Guardian Council rules the elections unfair, and has a rerun. We're back at square 1.
3) Guardian Council rules the elections fair. Opposition mounts an insurrection, and things get bloody. Nobody in their right mind is going to get involved in that one.

We are basically just sitting by with popcorn ready, waiting to see what happens next.

NTM

jank

jill_valentine wrote: »

I'm surprised at the deafening silence on Boards about this...?

?? Please elaborate

mike65

7 shot dead yesterday and a recount is disputed areas to be held, which of course could be nothing more than a sop with the same result to be arrived at.

jill_valentine might be suggesting that if this had been Palestine for example, the place would be full of the usual suspects decrying Israel (could be wrong though)

Gholimoli

wes

mike65 wrote: »

7 shot dead yesterday and a recount is disputed areas to be held, which of course could be nothing more than a sop with the same result to be arrived at.

Apparently, Mousavi can ask for all the ballots to be recounted and not just the disputed ones, but not too sure about it, been hearing different things from different news sites in that regard.

mike65 wrote: »

jill_valentine might be suggesting that if this had been Palestine for example, the place would be full of the usual suspects decrying Israel (could be wrong though)

Well, sure we could ask the same about the lack of concern about the Congo, which is a far more deadly conflict than most discussed here, but its pretty damn irrelevant.

Nodin

mike65 wrote: »

jill_valentine might be suggesting that if this had been Palestine for example, the place would be full of the usual suspects decrying Israel (could be wrong though)

There may be some people out there under the delusion that Iran is a "normal" state, no different from us, but they'd be so small in number as to be negligible....

youcrazyjesus!

It's extremely unlikely that an election fraud on such a scale could be carried out undetected. I'm not yet aware of any evidence whatsoever of fraud and if precedent is anything go by, it was highly likely before the outset that Ahmedinijad would be re-elected comfortably. I strongly suspect agent provocateurs and outside influences are stirring up trouble in Iran. I shudder to think what might have happened if he won 51 to 49. As for these so called opinion polls that said it was neck and neck, I was aware of many others which said Ahmedinijad would win comfortably.

youcrazyjesus!

DarkJager wrote: »

Outside media distortion still would not explain how he won by a landslide. If Mousavi did have the majority of the youth vote, he would certainly be on level pegging with Ahmadinejad. Of course, its not surprising if the vote has been rigged, we all know how these eastern europeans countries like to keep the people who are leading them into the path of annihilation, in power.

The "youth vote" in Iran?

Lol. Learn a bit about the subject first please. Well over half of the population in Iran is under the age of 25.

wes

youcrazyjesus! wrote: »

It's extremely unlikely that an election fraud on such a scale could be carried out undetected. I'm not yet aware of any evidence whatsoever of fraud and if precedent is anything go by, it was highly likely before the outset that Ahmedinijad would be re-elected comfortably. I strongly suspect agent provocateurs and outside influences are stirring up trouble in Iran. I shudder to think what might have happened if he won 51 to 49. As for these so called opinion polls that said it was neck and neck, I was aware of many others which said Ahmedinijad would win comfortably.

While, I heard about the same polls, the actions of the Iranian government make them look pretty damn guilty in my eyes.