Iranian Elections

Ahmadinejad declares victory

Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad voting in Tehran on June 12. Official news reports say Ahmadinejad won the election by a commanding margin. (Photo: Iranian Students News Agency)

The Iranian state news agency says president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won the election with 65% of the vote; his main opponent, Mir Hossein Mousavi, is expected to dispute the results and claim fraud. There's a good deal of skepticism about the results among Mousavi supporters.

Turnout was quite high, according to the Iranian Interior Ministry, which said more than 70 percent of registered voters cast ballots.

Haven't been following the elections closely? Earlier this week, we looked at the key issues that influenced voters, and some last-minute palace intrigue involving Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and former president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. We also reported on some feisty presidential debates on state television.

Not sure how Iran's government works? Here's a primer.

No Comments

Post a Comment

Mousavi fired from Arts Institution post

Mir Hossein Mousavi has been fired from his job as the head of Iran's Arts Institution, one of his two public positions, according to the BBC.

Rebuking Khamenei

Former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani sent a warning to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, warning him about some comments president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made during a televised debate.

Drone barrage reportedly targets Hafiz Gul Bahadur

Downplaying human rights to buy "cooperation"

Miliband urges Karzai to accelerate reintegration

Al-Akhbar: Our weekly brief

Peace Processing

Biden arrives in Israel amid serious Palestinian doubts

Vice President Joe Biden and his wife arrived in Israel on Monday.
As Joe Biden lands in Israel, the Israeli government -- obviously keen to demonstrate that it's serious about restarting peace talks -- announced Monday that it will violate its West Bank settlement freeze and build 112 new homes in Beitar Illit, a settlement west of Bethlehem.

Iraqi Elections

Polls close in Iraq; media reports suggest strong turnout, relative calm

An Iraqi man on a bicycle displays his ink-stained finger after voting in Baghdad on March 7, 2010. (Photo: AP)
A handful of insurgent attacks around the country killed two dozen people, but Iraqi security forces seemed generally confident; the vehicle ban in Baghdad, scheduled to last all day, was lifted before noon. Anecdotal reports suggest a strong turnout across the country.

Iraqi Elections

Campaigning stops, voting starts; scattered violence in Baghdad, Mosul

Iraqi policemen show their ink-stained fingers after voting outside a polling station in Najaf, 100 miles south of Baghdad. (Photo: Reuters)
Iraq's campaign season wrapped up today, 48 hours ahead of the election, as soldiers and medical personnel voted early. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers and police will be on duty Sunday for the general election, when millions of Iraqis will vote at some 10,00 polling centers around the country (and abroad).