Iran's election could get very interesting

[SoCalDem]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323734304578544912995560792.html

Updated June 15, 2013, 6:21 a.m. ET

Rohani Leads in Early Iran Results


By FARNAZ FASSIHI

BEIRUT—Iran's preliminary election results show that the candidate backed by the opposition and reformist political factions, Hassan Rohani, is leading in polls by a landslide, giving a decisive victory to Iranians calling for change. Mr. Rohani has 51.76% of the estimated 12 million counted votes, with the second runner up, Tehran Mayor Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, scoring only 15.78%, according to official preliminary results announced by the Interior Ministry. Iran analysts and media pundits say if Hassan Rohani, pictured above, wins with a large margin, it should serve as wake-up call for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his circle of conservative advisers.

Mr. Rohani needs 50% plus one vote to win the presidency and if early results are an indication, the election might not go to a runoff as predicted. Conservative candidates did poorly in vote counts so far, especially the candidates perceived to be the closest to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The current nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, ranked fourth and Ali Akbar Velayati, a former foreign minister, was fifth. Mohsen Rezaei, the former commander of the Revolutionary Guards, who made the economy his top campaign issue, ranked third. The votes for all three men are below 13% so far.

Iran analysts and media pundits say if Mr. Rohani wins with a large margin, it should serve as wake-up call for Mr. Khamenei and his circle of conservative advisers that their hard-line policies ranging from the standoff over the nuclear issue to the dire state of the economy have been rejected by the majority of the population. "Mr. Khamenei has to understand that his policies have failed. The people came out and voiced their protest in the most civil way and hopefully they will be heard," said Ali Mazrui, a former parliamentarian and member of the main reformist party, to BBC Persian on Saturday morning.

The government announced that 70% of the country's estimated 50 million voters had cast ballots at 60,000 polling stations across the nation. Overshadowing the election process for many voters were memories of the last presidential ballot in 2009, when large-scale unrest followed allegations that authorities had rigged the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

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[Laelth]

1. k&r for exposure. n/t

-Laelth

[bunnies]

2. And yet I just read the other day...

that a majority of Iranians support Sharia law. I can't, for the life of me, understand this country.

[SoCalDem]

3. They have been confused since the 70's..

I saw a woman being interviewed the other day in pretty much full-cover-up mode and she was griping about how women are being pushed backward