Heavy turnout as Iran goes to polls
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Daily News with wires
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Haziran 13, 2009 00:00
TEHRAN - Iranians turn out in large numbers for the hotly contested presidential vote with incumbent hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad facing a tough challenge from moderate former PMMir Hossein Mousavi. With the race considered too close to call, a strong turnout may boost Mousavi
Iranians packed polling stations from boutique-lined streets in north Tehran to conservative bastions in the countryside Friday with a choice that's left the nation divided: keeping hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in power or electing a reformist who favors greater freedoms and improved ties with the United States.
Voting was extended by one hours until 8 p.m. following an "unprecedented" turnout, the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency cited Kamran Daneshjou, head of the country’s election commission, as saying.
Crowds formed quickly at many voting sites in areas considered both strongholds for Ahmadinejad and his main rival, reformist Mir Hossein Mousavi, who served as prime minister in the 1980s and has become the surprise hero of a powerful youth-driven movement. "I hope to defeat Ahmadinejad today," said Mahnaz Mottaghi, 23, after casting her ballot at a mosque in central Tehran. Outside the same polling station, 29-year-old Abbas Rezai said he, his wife and his sister-in-law all voted for Ahmadinejad. "We will have him as a president for another term, for sure," he told The Associated Press.
The dire state of Iran's economy and its relationship with the outside world have emerged as key issues after an fiery campaign marked by boisterous mass street rallies and acrimonious candidate debates on prime-time television. The outcome will not sharply alter Iran's main policies or sway high-level decisions, such as possible talks with Washington. Those crucial policies are all directly controlled by the ruling clerics headed by the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. But Mousavi has offered hopes of more freedoms at home. If elected, he could try to end crackdowns on liberal media and bloggers and push for Iran to embrace President Barack Obama's offer of dialogue after a nearly 30-year diplomatic freeze.
A candidate needs to win more than 50 percent of the vote to clinch a first-round victory. If no one does so, the contest will go to a run-off between the two top-placed candidates on June 19. Ahmadinejad "is really going to struggle to win in the first round," Ali M. Pedram, an Iran expert at Durham University in the UK, told Bloomberg.
Election on Web
For the first time in Iran, the forces of the Web were fully harnessed in an election showdown. That catapulted Mousavi, a 67-year-old former prime minister from the 1980s, into a political star. Dozens of Iranians using Twitter posted messages including one that proclaimed: "For Iran, this is the Day of Decision." Another tweet: "Keep my fingers crossed for green wave to win."
Iran's elections are considered generally fair, but the country does not allow international monitors. During the 2005 election, there were some allegations of vote rigging from losers, but the claims were never investigated.
After casting his vote in the white ballot box, the Supreme Leader Khamenei urged Iranians to remain calm. "If some intend to create tension, this will harm people," he said. Meanwhile, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, an ally of Ahmadinejad, wished him "luck" in the contest.
Voting was extended by one hours until 8 p.m. following an "unprecedented" turnout, the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency cited Kamran Daneshjou, head of the country’s election commission, as saying.
Crowds formed quickly at many voting sites in areas considered both strongholds for Ahmadinejad and his main rival, reformist Mir Hossein Mousavi, who served as prime minister in the 1980s and has become the surprise hero of a powerful youth-driven movement. "I hope to defeat Ahmadinejad today," said Mahnaz Mottaghi, 23, after casting her ballot at a mosque in central Tehran. Outside the same polling station, 29-year-old Abbas Rezai said he, his wife and his sister-in-law all voted for Ahmadinejad. "We will have him as a president for another term, for sure," he told The Associated Press.
The dire state of Iran's economy and its relationship with the outside world have emerged as key issues after an fiery campaign marked by boisterous mass street rallies and acrimonious candidate debates on prime-time television. The outcome will not sharply alter Iran's main policies or sway high-level decisions, such as possible talks with Washington. Those crucial policies are all directly controlled by the ruling clerics headed by the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. But Mousavi has offered hopes of more freedoms at home. If elected, he could try to end crackdowns on liberal media and bloggers and push for Iran to embrace President Barack Obama's offer of dialogue after a nearly 30-year diplomatic freeze.
A candidate needs to win more than 50 percent of the vote to clinch a first-round victory. If no one does so, the contest will go to a run-off between the two top-placed candidates on June 19. Ahmadinejad "is really going to struggle to win in the first round," Ali M. Pedram, an Iran expert at Durham University in the UK, told Bloomberg.
Election on Web
For the first time in Iran, the forces of the Web were fully harnessed in an election showdown. That catapulted Mousavi, a 67-year-old former prime minister from the 1980s, into a political star. Dozens of Iranians using Twitter posted messages including one that proclaimed: "For Iran, this is the Day of Decision." Another tweet: "Keep my fingers crossed for green wave to win."
Iran's elections are considered generally fair, but the country does not allow international monitors. During the 2005 election, there were some allegations of vote rigging from losers, but the claims were never investigated.
After casting his vote in the white ballot box, the Supreme Leader Khamenei urged Iranians to remain calm. "If some intend to create tension, this will harm people," he said. Meanwhile, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, an ally of Ahmadinejad, wished him "luck" in the contest.