Iran: Ahmadinejad wins vote by landslide

[Stardrive]

voting in Iran is all an illusion anyway. when they have the puppeteer ayatollah whats-his-face pulling the strings,.

As usual your right again...

[Grams]

LOL Yeah, he's really saying " I luv Amerricca"!.

Look, I don't think he's the worst leader on the planet but I do think Iran have lost the bus by re-electing Ahmadinejad. This is assuming he was re-elected honestly. They've gone for the Conservative choice. This means that the majority of 85% prefer him to a reformist that would have gotten rid of discrimination against women including patrols of so-called "morality police" regularly enforcing standards of Islamic dress on Iran's streets. If he won by a landslide that means most women prefer and accept to be dominated by their men. End of story.

Now, that is a lot of bunk. End of story.

[Princess Serenity]

I heard while I was still asleep on the radio. That The Supreme Leader is going to investigate. To see if Ahmadinejad rigged the voting.

Hope he turns up results.

[Lord Umbarger]

No way did Mackmood get such a high margin when the majority of youth were behind his opponent . Isn;t like 70% of the pop under 30?

I don't know the exact figures but, I do know that most of the muslim world has a larger percentage of under 30's than over 30's. I think I recall hearing that Saudi Arabia was somewhere around 75% under 30. Different countries, I know but, it seems to be the norm in the Middle East since the advent of modern medicines and better pre-natal care in the 20th century.

voting in Iran is all an illusion anyway. when they have the puppeteer ayatollah whats-his-face pulling the strings,.

I said almost het exact same thing in a different thread! LOL! It doesn't matter who gets elected, teh religious clerics hold the power to over rule any decisions and even unseat a "Leader" that doesn't tow the line.

There´s no way he would have gotten that high percentage, despite the opposition being treated like Ron Paul by the media. He had an Obama-like movement and it was predicted to be either close or him winning. Him losing by such a landslide is too fishy.

Saddam Hussien Al Tikriti got soemthing like 97.something in his last "election" too. I find it hard to believe that there is that large of a percentage of folks in ANY country that all agree on the same guy to lead them! LOL! Not even in the Soviet Union did they have such landslide victories! LOL!

This means that the majority of 85% prefer him to a reformist that would have gotten rid of discrimination against women including patrols of so-called "morality police" regularly enforcing standards of Islamic dress on Iran's streets. If he won by a landslide that means most women prefer and accept to be dominated by their men.

If that could even possibly be true, it's a sad statement on the nature of Iran. Of course, all the people there know is what they are taught in the Koran based schools so, it is I guess remotely possible that they simply do prefer it to whatever alternative they have beaten into them. (Support this guy or the Americans will come and eat all your cookies).

I heard while I was still asleep on the radio. That The Supreme Leader is going to investigate. To see if Ahmadinejad rigged the voting. Hope he turns up results.

They will turn up results! IN a week or so, there will be a media blitz abotu how they did a super duper top notch thorough investigation and as it turns out, he won by a bigger landslide that previously thought. Several anti-Iranian poll workers will be indicted, given a fair trial and hung. In other news, Iranian leaders are looking for a good price on rope... the kind that you make nooses out of.........

Wait and see if Lord Umbarger is telling you wrong! Cut and save this post and in a couple of weeks post it back to this thread if I turn out to be incorrect! First one to bust me on it, gets my permission to look at anything they want to on the internet! LOL!

[Princess Serenity]

They will turn up results! IN a week or so, there will be a media blitz abotu how they did a super duper top notch thorough investigation and as it turns out, he won by a bigger landslide that previously thought. Several anti-Iranian poll workers will be indicted, given a fair trial and hung. In other news, Iranian leaders are looking for a good price on rope... the kind that you make nooses out of.........

Wait and see if Lord Umbarger is telling you wrong! Cut and save this post and in a couple of weeks post it back to this thread if I turn out to be incorrect! First one to bust me on it, gets my permission to look at anything they want to on the internet! LOL!

Um. Okay.

O.o;

*Runs*

[Lord Umbarger]

Um. Okay. O.o; *Runs*

Why "runs"? I haven't tied a noose in ages now! LOL! Besides, I'm Jewish, we don't "do" nooses! LOL!

[Black Red Devil]

Now, that is a lot of bunk. End of story.

Like what?

[Siara]

Does anyone know who votes in their elections? Do the women vote? How old do they have to be to vote? Do people have (reasonably) equal access to voting machines?

[KRS-One]

Does anyone know who votes in their elections? Do the women vote? How old do they have to be to vote? Do people have (reasonably) equal access to voting machines?

Suffrage in Iran is 18 years of age for men and women according to the CIA world factbook.

The legitimacy of their election procedures however...

I don't want to say that I definitively agree that this was how ALL the ballots were or that this is entirely true, however -

In fact, we may be headed for a government-rigged Palm Beach County-style election controversy. Here's the problem:

The candidates are listed by name and by number...and also by code. You vote by writing down the candidate's name and then his...what? Number...or code? No one is quite sure. The leading reformer, Mir-Hussein Moussavi, has the number 4 and the code 777. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has the number 1 and the code 444. So the question arises: If you vote for Moussavi and list his number as 4...have you actually voted for Ahmadinejad? And why on earth have they devised such a complicated ballot in the first place?

A representative of the Guardian's Council, which is monitoring the polling stations, told me at the Hossein Ershad Mosque in North Tehran that none of this mattered. "Only the name on the ballot matters," she said.

Let's hope so.

http://swampland.blogs.time.com/2009/06/12...an-butterflies/

Edited June 16, 2009 by KRS-One

[questionmark]

Does anyone know who votes in their elections? Do the women vote? How old do they have to be to vote? Do people have (reasonably) equal access to voting machines?

It is supposed to be universal suffrage, one man/woman, one vote.

[Q24]

Sorry to be a latecomer to the show but the recent events in Iran have had me bemused.

You see, I’m not finding the election results to be at all unexpected. Ahmadinejad had massive support from the state media and was backed by the Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei. Prior to the election, most outside analysts were non-committal about who was the favourite candidate, though an independent poll in Iran had Ahmadinejad as the clear leader. Then the election comes about…

Before polling was even complete Mousavi declared his party as the “definite winner” and his ally said they were winning most votes… despite no results confirming this. Even early indications after 35% of ballot boxes were counted showed Ahmadinejad to have a lead - it’s not like there came a big swing at any point.

Does anyone know what Mousavi was basing his claim on other than his guesstimate opinion?

After the election we have these demonstrations where Mousavi has incited thousands of his supporters to take to the streets. The claim is that some polling stations were shut early and/or there were not enough ballot papers and/or other general irregularities. I personally haven’t heard of any specific unusual pattern in the voting trend to support any of this.

Has Mousavi produced any specifics or evidence of his claims?

The idea came to mind that perhaps Mousavi, being the favoured candidate of the West, was put up to all this by some foreign sources. For instance, it is known that the CIA will fund certain groups in Iran if it is found to be of benefit. This idea does not hold though as a basic background check of Mousavi and his allies shows nothing untoward in the slightest.

If the two questions above show nothing, then could it be as simple as ‘sour grapes’ from Mousavi?

I would be grateful of any feedback on the questions asked.

[Clocker]

Iran ready for partial recount in disputed vote

TEHRAN (Reuters) – Iran's top legislative body said Tuesday it was ready to carry out a partial recount in a disputed presidential election that has prompted the biggest street protests since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

In what appeared to be a first concession by authorities to the protest movement, the powerful 12-man Guardian Council said it was ready to re-tally votes in the poll in which hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the runaway winner.

Iranians outraged by Mirhossein Mousavi's defeat in what they viewed as a stolen election were planning another rally on Tuesday, even though seven people were killed Monday on the fringes of a huge march through the streets of Tehran.

Full story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090616/wl_nm/us_iran_election

So there might be a recount after all...don't really know if it'll make any difference. Even if the votes were originally rigged, I don't know if the powers that be have any interest in a different result. According to the story these demonstrations are pretty much the biggest since the revolution and are approaching that scale.

[Siara]

Full story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090616/wl_nm/us_iran_election

So there might be a recount after all...don't really know if it'll make any difference. Even if the votes were originally rigged, I don't know if the powers that be have any interest in a different result. According to the story these demonstrations are pretty much the biggest since the revolution and are approaching that scale.

They're going to recount 30 million votes by hand? Is the organization that supervises the recount part of the government? Who appoints the positions on it? The president?

If Ahmadinejad had won by 52% or something I would believe the election results. But if someone was going to win by such a landslide we would have known about it before the election. One of the things that amazes me about all this is that Ahmadinejad is such a bad liar.

[questionmark]

They're going to recount 30 million votes by hand? Is the organization that supervises the recount part of the government? Who appoints the positions on it? The president?

If Ahmadinejad had won by 52% or something I would believe the election results. But if someone was going to win by such a landslide we would have known about it before the election. One of the things that amazes me about all this is that Ahmadinejad is such a bad liar.

This piece of related news might shed some light:

Iran to recount SOME votes in presidential election after seven die in violent mass protests against Ahmadinejad's 'victory'

By Mail Foreign Service

Last updated at 10:49 AM on 16th June 2009

Iranian legislators are ready to recount disputed ballot boxes in a presidential election that hundreds of thousands have denounced as rigged, state TV said this morning.

But a senior reformist ally of defeated candidates Mirhossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi said they wanted a rerun rather than a recount of 'a few ballot boxes'.

The unprecedented concession came after hundreds of thousands of voters massed in Tehran to support presidential candidate Mirhossein Mousavi and protesters carried out a rebellion against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on the internet.

Seven people were killed and several seriously wounded after Iranians defied a threat of a crackdown by the government and took to the streets of Tehran to demand a new vote yesterday.

This morning Iran's top legislative body, the Guardian Council, said it is ready to recount votes in Friday's election won by hardline incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The council had been asked to investigate allegations of voter fraud by Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The council said the recount may lead to changes in candidates' tally, according to the television report.

Press TV said the council had agreed for a recount of disputed ballot boxes in the election.

Defeated candidate Mr Mousavi has appealed to the council for the election to be annulled, but has said he was not optimistic about its verdict.

Gunmen loyal to newly re-elected Mr Ahmadinejad president fired on crowds yesterday after their building was attacked by demonstrators who had ignored a ban on rallies.

Full story, source: The Mail

[Q24]

But if someone was going to win by such a landslide we would have known about it before the election.

Pre-election Iranian poll showed Ahmadinejad support

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A poll of Iran's electorate three weeks before its election showed President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad leading by a 2-to-1 ratio, greater than the announced results of the contested vote, the pollsters said on Monday.

Continued

[Lt_Ripley]

They're going to recount 30 million votes by hand? Is the organization that supervises the recount part of the government? Who appoints the positions on it? The president?

If Ahmadinejad had won by 52% or something I would believe the election results. But if someone was going to win by such a landslide we would have known about it before the election. One of the things that amazes me about all this is that Ahmadinejad is such a bad liar.

I think us knowing what goes on is like Iran knowing what really goes on in Western government . or rather him being able to tell if American elections are rigged. While I hope there is a recount .... who is doing it and how did the number of 30 million come about ? I don't trust he won , but I'm not sure I trust a recount either.

this brings up some other points ...

Western misconceptions meet Iranian reality

16 June 2009

http://www.b92.net/eng/insight/opinions.ph...mp;nav_id=59871

and very interesting.....

Iran Updates (VIDEO): Live-Blogging The Uprising

3:17 AM ET -- The propaganda machine. Last night, I asked for Farsi-speaking readers to help give us a sense of how Iran's government-backed newspapers were addressing the rallies. Mehrun sent us a great overview earlier (12:55 AM). Reader Arvin helepd translate more major headlines in the top state newspaper Kayhan News.

I try to stay as literal and true to the original piece as possible:

Main headline: "An important recommendation by the leader of the revolution [i.e the

supreme leader]: Mr. Moussavi, separate your path from that of the anarchists."

-Mir-Hossein is just an excuse. We were after fundamental changes, which didn't happen:

An anti-revolutionary element said: "U.S. and Israel were after changing the president in Iran but now they have to make do with the current situation."

-The vote of the Iranian people made U.S. and Israel's work much harder.

-The guardian council will publish the results of the investigation

into complaints by the candidates.

-A Moussavi supporter: the elections were run completely healthy.

The rest are about agriculture, Iraq, and general news.

3:09 AM ET -- Iran state TV using Fox News footage. Earlier this evening, emailer Valentina sent along this Farsi-language video of a June 15 news report by Iranian national TV. She described it as such:

This video is about yesterday events when people gathered in front of one of candidates' (Mousavi but no name was mentioned in the report) HQ. In brief: The narrator says that a group of opportunistic people supporting a candidate (without bringing the name) are responsible for breaking and destroying the public/ private property. They are blaming the foreign media for supporting the riots and covering the story. They cited Fox News who has predicted the violence and wants to divide Iranian people. They are interviewing a group of people who are mad because their property has got destroyed.

In search of more detail of how the government is spinning Monday's events, I asked another reader (who has graciously been helping me translate Farsi) to give a more detailed description. He obliged:

What a propaganda masterpiece. So the gist of it is that there were some minor rallies that started peacefully but some people took advantage of the situation and began vandalizing. Meanwhile, the foreign press tried to make it sound worst and create disunity among the population. It cuts to a Fox News interview that US should take advantage of this situation and make contact with the people in the street. They then interview shop owners -- "victims" -- saying the government should stop such act of vandalism. 'It's unfair to us (shop owners) to come to work and see our properties and business is damaged.'

A fascinating look inside the state's message machine, and as he noted, "you see how well they monitor all news sources to put together that video montage."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/13/i...e_n_215189.html

[Corp]

I'm rather impressed that a few dozen foreign reporters can convince hundreds of thousands of people to take to the streets. Who knew they had such power over the Iranian people.

As for the recount I'm betting that it does show some problems but that Ahmadinejad will still win. Then the clerics will hope to sweep this all under the rug.

[Bill Hill]

Iran Updates (VIDEO): Live-Blogging The Uprising

Bloggers? bloggers...

This just tells us Iran has it's fair share of freakos who want to catalogue the mundanity of their empty lives online.

[Lord Umbarger]

I seriously doubt that he really won the vote and evenif he did, I seriously doubt that the ones that did vote for him did so out of hte conviction that he is the best personfro the job. More likely, they were afriad that a vote ofr anyone else might lead to them disappearing in the desert somewhere.

[acidhead]

I seriously doubt that he really won the vote and evenif he did, I seriously doubt that the ones that did vote for him did so out of hte conviction that he is the best personfro the job. More likely, they were afriad that a vote ofr anyone else might lead to them disappearing in the desert somewhere.

In 2005 Ahmadinejad won the election with 60% of the vote as well....

[Karlis]

I don't quite get why Iran even has a presidency.

Seeing as how the actual leaders are the religious, ayatollahs.

GreyWeather -- Iran is a Republic. That is why it has a presidency.

Regards,

Karlis

Edited June 16, 2009 by Karlis

[Karlis]

Anyone interested in the Government of Iran, and its workings? If "yes", this may be of interest:

Karlis:

Government and Politics

Iran Table of Contents

THE IRANIAN ISLAMIC REVOLUTION of 1979 resulted in the replacement of the monarchy by the Islamic Republic of Iran. The inspiration for the new government came from Ayatollah Sayyid Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini, who first began formulating his concept of an Islamic government in the early 1970s, while in exile in the Shia Islam learning and pilgrimage center of An Najaf in Iraq. Khomeini's principal objective was that government should be entrusted to Islamic clergy who had been appropriately trained in Islamic theology and jurisprudence. He referred to this ideal government as a velayat-e faqih, or the guardianship of the religious jurist. Khomeini did not, however, elaborate concrete ideas about the institutions and functions of this ideal Islamic government. The translation of his ideas into a structure of interrelated governmental institutions was undertaken by the special Assembly of Experts, which drafted the Constitution of the Islamic Republic during the summer and fall of 1979. Subsequently, this Constitution was ratified by popular vote in December 1979.

The political institutions established under the Constitution have been in the process of consolidation since 1980. These institutions have withstood serious challenges, such as the impeachment and removal from office of the first elected president and the assassination of the second one; the assassination of a prime minister, several members of the cabinet, and deputies of the parliament, or Majlis; an effort to overthrow the government by armed opposition; and a major foreign war. By 1987 the constitutional government's demonstrated ability to survive these numerous crises inspired confidence among the political elite.

At the top of the government structure is the faqih, the ultimate decision maker. The Constitution specifically names Khomeini as the faqih for life and provides a mechanism for choosing his successors. The role of the faqih has evolved into that of a policy guide and arbitrator among competitive views. Below the faqih a distinct separation of powers exists between the executive and legislative branches. The executive branch includes an elected president, who selects a prime minister and cabinet that must be approved by the elected legislative assembly, the Majlis. The judiciary is independent of both the executive and the Majlis.

Until 1987 the government was dominated by a single political party, the Islamic Republican Party (IRP). Other political parties were permitted as long as they accepted the Constitution and the basic principles of velayat-e faqih. In practice, however, few other political parties have been permitted to operate legally since 1981. Most of the political parties that were formed in the immediate aftermath of the Revolution have disbanded, gone underground, or continued to operate in exile.

The Constitution stipulates that the government of the Republic derives its legitimacy from both God and the people. It is a theocracy in the sense that the rulers claim that they govern the Muslim people of Iran as the representatives of the divine being and the saintly Twelve Shia Imams. The people have the right to choose their own leaders, however, from among those who have demonstrated both religious expertise and moral rectitude. At the national level this is accomplished through parliamentary and presidential elections scheduled at four-year intervals. All citizens who have attained sixteen years of age are eligible to vote in these elections. There are also local elections for a variety of urban and rural positions.

[[[These are informative links at the URL]]]

THE CONSTITUTION

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

POLITICAL DYNAMICS

POLITICAL PARTIES

POLITICAL ORIENTATIONS

THE MASS MEDIA

FOREIGN POLICY

For more information about the government, see Facts about Iran at the URL.

SOURCE of the above: http://countrystudies.us/iran/80.htm

[acidhead]

GreyWeather -- Iran is a Republic. That is why it has a presidency.

Regards,

Kar;is

Many are blinded by fear to look up responsibilities of the Iran presidency.... unlike GW Bush's self-proclaimed roll as Commander-in-chief of the military.....

Too many westerners hold their fake allegence to patriotism to even notice whats happening without your beloved MSM telling you what to say and sub-consciously think...

The President of Iran is the highest popularly elected official in the Islamic Republic of Iran, second only to the Supreme Leader.

According to the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran the president is responsible for the "functions of the executive", such as signing treaties, agreements etc. with other countries and international organizations; the national planning and budget and state employment affairs; appointing ministers, governors, and ambassadors subject to the approval of the parliament.

Unlike many other countries, in Iran the president does not have full control over foreign policy, the armed forces, or the nuclear policy of the Iranian state, which are under the control of the Supreme Leader.

[acidhead]

Some may be surprised the angle I'm going for now but bear with me:

I wouldn't be surprised at all if Ahmedinejad was a CIA asset all along..... to break up Iran from the inside.... from control of the MOOLAS

....... this is an angle I've thought about for years when his photo turned up as a hostage taker during the embassy hostage event in 79.

....of course Ahmedinejad denied involvment in the crisis.

... remeber.... Carter tries a failed rescue.... 444 days go by and the VERY DAY Reagan in inaugurated the hostages are released... with HW Bush as VP

thoughts?

[Karlis]

Some may be surprised the angle I'm going for now but bear with me:

I wouldn't be surprised at all if Ahmedinejad was a CIA asset all along..... to break up Iran from the inside.... from control of the MOOLAS

....... this is an angle I've thought about for years when his photo turned up as a hostage taker during the embassy hostage event in 79.

....of course Ahmedinejad denied involvment in the crisis.

... remeber.... Carter tries a failed rescue.... 444 days go by and the VERY DAY Reagan in inaugurated the hostages are released... with HW Bush as VP

thoughts?

"... the VERY DAY Reagan in inaugurated the hostages are released."

Acidhead, that was orchestrated for political purposes, and is well-documented, in dozens of articles.

Karlis