Iranian Election Update – Ahmadinejad Campaign Motto – Steal This Election
June 14, 2009
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Posted by Michael S. Langston
I wrote some on this a few days ago asking whether it was a good sign that challenger to the ruling party was drawing so much interest in Iran (here). I also noted the possibility of election fraud and my concerns seemed to have come true.
While I will concede that I’m sure some voters wanted to re-elect the crazy guy, the numbers are simply too far apart to believe without further evidence. According to Iranian government election propaganda officials (here):
Yesterday morning, election officials reported that president Ahmadinejad had received nearly 19 million votes, or about 63 percent of the total, while Mousavi got about 9 million votes, or 34 percent. Two other challengers, Mohsen Rezaie, a conservative former commander of the Revolutionary Guard, got just under 600,000 votes, while Mehdi Karroubi, a liberal former speaker of the Parliament, garnered about 260,000, or 2.5 and 0.88 percent respectively. Turnout was a record 85 percent, officials said.
In a country which has been full of protests over the last few weeks, the idea that the incumbent could pull of 63% of the vote is laughable. Some Mousavi supporters even go so far as to claim the total number of votes for Mousavi was less than the total number of volunteers who were working for his election.
So protests and strong statements from around the world pore forth (here):
…“These protests are similar to problems at a football match,” Ahmadinejad said at a news conference today in Tehran. “A team wins and the other loses. Accept that your team has lost.”
Ahmadinejad, accused by rival candidates of unnecessarily stoking tensions with the West, may see success at the ballot box as a vindication of his policies….
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Vice President Joe Biden said “there is some real doubt” about the election results, citing “the way they are suppressing speech, the way they are suppressing crowds.”
“Talks with Iran are not a reward for good behavior,” he added on NBC television’s “Meet the Press.” “Our interests are the same before the election as they are after the election.”…
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Claiming an electoral fix, Mousavi’s supporters yesterday clashed with ranks of anti-riot police guarding the Interior Ministry in Tehran, which served as the election headquarters.
Protesters set fire to motorbikes belonging to police, who used tear gas and batons to disperse a crowd of several thousand chanting “fraud last night” and “Mousavi, Mousavi, get my vote back.”
“In our questioning, we’re after finding links between the plotters and the foreign media,” the state-run Fars news agency cited Ahmadreza Radan, deputy police chief, as saying at a news conference in the capital today. He dismissed as wrong reports that Mousavi is under house arrest…
What do we really know just yet? Not much. While it’s within the realm of possibility the election wasn’t rigged, we are never likely to have much information on either side of the argument and regardless of any potential facts to prove election rigging – the outcome is unlikely to change (here):
…In the likely assumption that Mr Ahmadinejad brazens out his critics and retains his position, observers expect a continuation of his controversial policies. Iranian presidents have limited executive powers, but during his four years in office Mr Ahmadinejad has largely succeeded in reinforcing social strictures that had loosened under his predecessor, Muhammad Khatami, a popular reformist who won consecutive presidential terms but was frequently thwarted by entrenched conservative opposition. Although widely ridiculed by Iran’s large, urban middle class, the incumbent appeals strongly to a broad constituency among the pious poor, and among nationalists who believe his abrasive foreign policy has strengthened Iran’s prestige….
So even assuming the vote was exactly what the population intended, it’s still a sad day for the Iranian people and the world at large. The continuation of the incumbent’s policies will result in further movement away from the international community and further movement towards harsher economic sanctions.
Let’s hope the protests are a beginning sign of an abandonment of Ahmadinejad’s policy on behalf of the Iranian people. Let’s hope also he continues to garner less support in Iran.
& lastly, let’s hope that those most strongly opposing the government, those brave people willing to face down the government, can stay safe. While freedom is certainly something people should be willing to die for, let’s hope not many will have to make that sacrifice.
Categories: International
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Tags: Elections, Freedom, International, Iran
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