Iran Election June 09

[Traxus]

Voting has been extended in Iran by 2 hours, a sign of very high turnout in the elections.

[Dreadnought]

Good for them. They need a new leader thats more about the people and less about firey rhetoric.

[BenRoethig]

The question is whether the Cleric and revolutionary Guard will accept that. Iran is first and foremost a theocracy and they have done things to discourage reform in the past.

[Merlin]

Here are the results, close to a final count, but being disputed.

Ahmadinejad set for victory in disputed Iran vote

TEHRAN (AFP) — Hardline incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was heading for a thumping victory in Iran's fiercely-contested presidential race, official results showed, in a major upset for his moderate rival.

"Doctor Ahmadinejad, by getting a majority of the votes, has become the definite winner of the 10th presidential election," state news agency IRNA declared as his jubilant supporters took to the streets in celebration.

However, his main challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi -- who pledged to improve relations with the outside world during the most heated election campaign since the Islamic revolution -- also declared himself the victor, suggesting a tense battle lay ahead.

Ahmadinejad won 65 percent of the vote against more than 32 percent for war-time premier Mousavi, with almost 90 percent of ballot boxes counted, said election commission chief Kamran Daneshjoo, highlighting the massive turnout. ....

[VietPhuong]

The Persians are very strange. On one side they hate the Islamic government but one the side they don't want to do anything to fight it. I believe not all of the population participated in this vote. Like the ones I met in Germany. They had chance to go to Frankfurt to vote but none of them did it.
Mousavi vowed to fight against fraud which means there may be some unrest but personally I think nothing will happen.

[Merlin]

The situation there is rather complex, see below. But I don't think Mousavi has any chance of getting a recount or a re-election.

Ahmadinejad Declared Winner of Iran Election

Clashes Break Out Among Voters as Challenger Mousavi Disputes Results

TEHRAN, June 13 -- Iran's Interior Ministry declared Saturday that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won a decisive victory in Friday's presidential election, but the incumbent's leading challenger protested the results, and clashes broke out between the two candidates' supporters.

Mir Hossein Mousavi, a former prime minister who waged a heated campaign against Ahmadinejad's bid for reelection, urged his supporters to reject a "governance of lie and dictatorship." He attributed the results to widespread vote fraud and vowed to resist a "dangerous manipulation" of the balloting.

Later, fighting broke out at Tehran's Vanak Square among hundreds of Iranians who backed the rival candidates, Reuters news agency reported. Up to 2,000 Mousavi supporters sat down in the street, chanting: "Mousavi take back our vote! What happened to our vote?"

Police wielding batons then moved to disperse the protesters, the news agency said.

Iran's Interior Ministry announced that Ahmadinejad had won 62.6 percent of the vote in the election. The ministry said Mousavi received less than 34 percent. ....

[Oscar]

I think Ahmaninedjad has found a model in Chavez. He played the populist card, pleased the crowd with cheap anti US slogans and showered his clientele (the poor and the rurals) with subsidies that economically make no sense and ultimately wreck the economy but as long as it secures his seat....

I wish Bush had dealt with him like he did with the "Bolivarian" clown. Just ignore him...

[Castellano]

I think this election was a farce. Nevermind the selection of candidates and the remorseless use of state resources to help one of them. People who seem to know about the insight of the regime predicted the votes wouldn't even be counted. I can't be sure of this last claim, but seems plausible.

You can't ignore A-jad or Chavez for that matter. If the barrel was $20 or less though, they would be like Mugabe and could be more or less ignored.

[La_Piovra]

Looks like riots going on across Iran. BBC says thick black plumes of smoke reported.

[1980s]

The Persians are very strange. On one side they hate the Islamic government but one the side they don't want to do anything to fight it. I believe not all of the population participated in this vote. Like the ones I met in Germany. They had chance to go to Frankfurt to vote but none of them did it.
Mousavi vowed to fight against fraud which means there may be some unrest but personally I think nothing will happen.

YOU DONT KNOW US. IRANIAN PEOPLE DO NOT ACCEPT THESE BOGUS ELECTION RESULTS.

[Castellano]

There are people from Tehran writing comments in the Spanish press and calling for protests against the what they see as a rigged election, I think is very moving.

[1980s]

This illegal government is trying to have a media blackout of what is happening and are beating up the people. Everyone knows these election results are rigged. These photos are mixture of media pictures and pictures taken by protesters and uploaded by them onto the internet earlier in the day. The people wear green to show support for Mir-Hossein Mousavi:

[1980s]

More:

[Oscar]

Thats the internet....I don't know how it is in real life.

Its sad but I would think that the majority of Iranians still support Ahmadinedjad.

[zraver]

I've been warning of the Guards for sometime, this is rather more overt than I expected but hopefully now the clerics will move while they still can.