Iran’s Guardian Council Finds Ballots Cast Exceeded Number of Voters in 50 Cities
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Related subjects: Asia / Pacific, Global, Iran, J.E. Robertson, Middle East, Obama administration, Open Government, Press Freedom, Rights & Freedoms, Security & Surveillance, The Vote Comments (11)
Iran’s Guardian Council announced today for the first time that it has found irregularities after reviewing some of the ballots cast in the disputed presidential election. According to state media, the Guardian Council has found that in at least 50 cities across Iran, the number of votes counted exceeded the total number of eligible voters. The Council also has said it would recount all ballots for the effected districts, if the candidates request it.
Abbas-Ali Kadkhodaei, a spokesman for the clerics, said the irregularities were found in “only 50 cities”, though Iran has 360 districts. He suggested the irregularities were less widespread than opposition candidates allege; opposition candidates had submitted statistical evidence to the Council arguing that more than 100% of eligible voters were reported to have cast votes in 80 to 170 cities.
According to the Wall Street Journal, “Mr. Kadhodaei said voter turnout of above 100% in some cities is a normal phenomenon because there is no legal restriction against people voting in a city or province in which they aren’t registered.” Iran’s official census data shows a higher recognized population than external measures of Iran’s population. A London-based think tank has questioned statistical support for Iran’s official report of high turnout.
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Opposition candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi has called the entire process illegitimate and has requested a new election. It appears that Guardian Council statements suggesting the irregularities were not equal to the wide official margin of victory for Pres. Ahmedinejad mean the Council is not contemplating ordering a new vote.
It is also unclear who has ordered the arrest of some 24 journalists and at least 5 members of the Rafsanjani family. Sources inside Iran have told international media that the regime detained Faezeh Rafsanjani because her presence at rallies could boost support for the opposition. Newsweek’s Tehran correspondent Maziar Bahari is among those detained; the BBC’s correspondent is being expelled from the country.
Protests turned bloody over the weekend, as security forces, backed by plainclothes Basij militia units, raided homes and attacked demonstrators in the streets. Reports of civilian deaths range from 10 (Tehran’s official tally) to 150. International media sources, including CNN, have reported confirming at least 19 killed through sources inside Iranian hospitals. There were reports civilians were “fighting back vigorously against the Basiji”.
The weekend’s unrest elicited the strongest response to date from the US administration. Pres. Obama has repeatedly warned that he would like to see democracy play out and not to choose sides to the detriment of Iranian reformers. But this weekend, Obama directly criticized the security crackdown, saying in a written statement “We call on the Iranian government to stop all violent and unjust actions against its own people”.
He added that “The universal rights to assembly and free speech must be respected, and the United States stands with all who seek to exercise those rights.” Obama also addressed the leadership, saying that “suppressing ideas never makes them go away” (a message from his Cairo speech), and calling on the Iranian government to “respect the dignity of its own people and govern through consent, not coercion.”
- Pres. Obama’s Statement on Iran (transcript)
- Larijani Says Majority Suspect Election Fraud; Rafsanjani Relative Detained
- Iran Says ‘Terrorists’ Caused Saturday Clashes; New Evidence of State Violence (UPDATED)
- Update on State Violence Against Demonstrators in Iran (video)
- Reports of Shots Fired at Iranian Demonstrators (video, links & updates)
- Khamene’i Demands End to Protests, Says Disputed Results Will Stand
- Open Letter from Iranian Academics to UN Sec. Gen. Ban Ki-moon
- UN Rights Chief Warns Iran not to Use Violence
- Iranian Dissident Leader Detained in Hospital ICU, Jailed without Charge
- Massive Opposition Rally in Tehran Mourns Slain Demonstrators (video)
- Iran Government Targets Press as More Demonstrations Planned (video)
- Rafsanjani Calls for Emergency Meeting of Assembly of Experts
- Pro-Mousavi Demonstrations & Iranians’ Constitutional Rights (video)
- Iran Opposition Movement Forces Khamenei to Investigate
- Iran Crackdown: Is it Tacit Admission Vote was Rigged?
- Iran Declares Ahmedinejad Winner, Results Widely Questioned as Fraudulent
- Rivals Ahmedinejad & Mousavi Both Declare Victory in Iran Election
- Iranian Polls Kept Open Several Hours Longer than Planned
- Iran Votes, with Popular Reformist Challenging Hardline Ahmedinejad
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