The Fix Is In in Iran

So the fact that Iranians are demonstrating in the streets over a government system that has been stable and functional under almost 30 years of sanctions, proves that the system does not work?

What a novel concept.

 

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There is no proof whatsoever of election fraud, and I believe this is just rhetoric from the enemies of Iran and the will of of its people. I have been looking through Western media for a balanced article on this topic, this seems to be the best article which I've found. Take a look.

While Western news reports from Tehran in the days leading up to the voting portrayed an Iranian public enthusiastic about Ahmadinejad's principal opponent, Mir Hossein Mousavi, our scientific sampling from across all 30 of Iran's provinces showed Ahmadinejad well ahead.
...
The breadth of Ahmadinejad's support was apparent in our preelection survey. During the campaign, for instance, Mousavi emphasized his identity as an Azeri, the second-largest ethnic group in Iran after Persians, to woo Azeri voters. Our survey indicated, though, that Azeris favored Ahmadinejad by 2 to 1 over Mousavi.
...
Allegations of fraud and electoral manipulation will serve to further isolate Iran and are likely to increase its belligerence and intransigence against the outside world. Before other countries, including the United States, jump to the conclusion that the Iranian presidential elections were fraudulent, with the grave consequences such charges could bring, they should consider all independent information. The fact may simply be that the reelection of President Ahmadinejad is what the Iranian people wanted.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dy.../06/14/AR2009061401757.html?hpid=opinionsbox1

 

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I see, so all those people rioting in the streets of Iran are Americans?

 

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Nope just Mousavi supporters. Unfortunately because Mousavi has been touted as a "reformist" and Americans have short attention spans, there is a misunderstanding about what exactly it means that Iranians are protesting.

Mousavi is a figure that appeals to the Islamic establishment. He became Prime Minister of Iran two years after the revolution ended. He remained in power for eight years [two terms]. During his period, Hezbollah came into power and the US mission fell in Iran. He withdrew from political life in 1989.

His resurgence now is from a group that is protesting against the current status quo. It has little to do with the west. Several senior elite clerics also support him.

 

Sam.
I was as suspicious as yourself at the embracement of the Western Media of this .
Opportunistic, and with agendas, whatever the outcome.

There has been more coverage in the UK of the few thousand protesters in Tehran, than of the Million plus that protested in London against the starting of the Iraq war.

Hopefully, eventually, the Iranians will get the person that they voted for.
That may well have been A., though if he has been party to electoral corruption, he should be disqualified. Should.

It looks as though the Iranian leaders are bowing to pressure and will authorise a recount.
Can you trust this recount?
About as much as you can trust British prime Minister Gordon Brown's announcement this week of a private enquiry into Britain's involvement in the Iraq war, to come to fair conclusions.
ie not at all.

Power corrupts.... etc.

 

Iran really only has itself to blame for the suspicion.

The USA, whose electoral process is almost transparent by comparison, would be practically incapable of pulling something like that off. Admittedly, Bush Jnr got away with something... odorous, but that had more to do with the electoral system than any deliberate rigging, as I understood it.

Iran could, quite easily.
Add a couple hundred thousand disgruntled Iranians to the mix and the attention of the Western media, and you have a dead fish under the floorboards in the eyes of outside observers.

That is not to say that they did.
(I find it necessary these days to clarify that before the accusations start flying).

 

DH, There are good reasons to question this election.

1. There are no independent observers. I'm pretty sure all monitors are appointed by the guardian council.

2. Websites and text-messaging were reported (by Iranians) to be blocked.

3. The results were given unusually quickly.

4. Mousavi lost in his own hometown, which is unprecedented.

5. There was a huge surge in voting turnout and yet his numbers actually went up. This is statistically unusual. The standard is for large increase in voter percentage to indicate a change in one direction or another.

http://www.time.com/time/specials/p...04,1904645_1904644,00.html?xid=rss-topstories

 

Blocking media is commonly done in India when large scale riots are anticipated, to forestall just such a possibility. So its not something I would question if people are pouring out.

 

I think they need to redo the vote.

 

And what good would that do? allow for a better cover for the election steal.

Besides it is Islamic Guardian Council, who chooses who can run and who is victor in the elections.

 

That's because everything the UK does is automatically awesome. You know, it's all so we can enjoy our freedom fries.

 

They're not protesting the system. They're protesting the right to choose who's represents them within the system.

 

It is an established fact that President Ahmadi Nejad is the most popular leader in Iran since the Revolution. The reason why its difficult for many Westerners to comprehend this is because their perceptions are largely shaped by a biased anti-Iranian and anti-Muslim media. Most of the people from the region have been following events in Iran for several years, and it isn't just in the last couple of days that we had an interest in Iran's internal affairs. It is just self-denial to even think Mousavi had any chance against Ahmadi Nejad. We all know Western displeasure of democracy in Muslim countries, i.e. Gaza. It isn't a coincidence that all America's allies in the regions are tyrannical dictators.

 

This almost looked like a joke.

 

The polls clearly said otherwise.

 

Thanks Diamond Hearts, now we are getting somewhere. I wanted to know who "Terror free tomorrow" were in this http://www.juancole.com/2009/06/terror-free-tomorro-poll-did-not.html turned up on the first Google page. Cole is normally a critic of Western imperialism but here he is casting doubts on that good Washington Post article that you linked to.

 

Who's polls?

 

"Most popular" isn't necessarily the same thing as "popular," let alone "legitimate."

The protests against the dictator currently occurring in Tehran are the largest since the Revolution.

The Turks are tyrranical dictators now?