Voting strong in Iran's presidential election
Iranians packed polling stations today in a presidential race too close to call between a well-known political moderate and his hardline rival seeking to reclaim the values of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The run-off election capped weeks of campaigning that came down to a choice over sharply differing visions for the future of Iran and possible relations with the West. First results are expected early tomorrow.
The narrow winner of last week’s first round, Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani, has received a flood of support from progressive and business groups seeking to protect the liberalising reforms since the late 1990s.
His surprise opponent, Tehran’s ultra-conservative mayor, Mahoud Ahmadinejad, has built on his strong appeal among Iran’s impoverished classes and powerful forces opposing any changes to the Islamic regime.
“This is the beginning of a new movement,” said Ahmadinejad after voting.
Early turnout appeared strong and displayed the tight character of the race. Lines were long in working-class areas of south Tehran, an Ahmadinjad stronghold. But polling stations were also clogged in well-off areas of the city where Rafsanjani is favoured.
About 63% of Iran’s nearly 47 million voters cast ballots in the first round.
The first round last Friday ended with bitter accusations of voter intimidation and other abuses. Election overseers have warned the elite Revolutionary Guards and its vigilante wings – both key Ahmadinejad followers - to stay clear of polling sites in the run-off.
The two rivals represent sharply differing views for a nation struggling to find its own priorities: Rasfanjani backers hope he will preserve greater social freedoms that arose in the 1990s and will keep a steady hand on Iran’s nuclear programme. Ahmadinejad sought support among those embittered by the social changes and those who have suffered in Iran’s faltering economy.
A 17-year-old voter, Masoud Memarian, said he backed Ahmadinejad “for the sake of God.”
Daryoush Hamadi, a 30-year-old Rafsanjani supporter, said “the country is doomed if hardliners take the presidency.”
The 70-year-old Rafsanjani became the default choice for reformists after their main hopeful finished back in the pack during the first rund. Rafsanjani stumbled to first place with just 21% of the vote – well short of predictions.
Right behind was Ahmadinejad with about 19.5% – forcing Iran’s first presidential run-off, since no candidate got the 50% required for victory.
“Religious democracy can save the country,” said Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, considered a leading Ahmadinejad supporter. He went on to tell worshippers at Tehran University today: “Every vote you cast is a bullet in the hearts” of the US.
This week’s brief campaign was all about trying to attract voters from the defeated first round candidates – who spanned from reformers to staunch conservatives.
Rafsanjani only had to sit back and collect support. Political factions and other groups flocked to his side in fear that a Ahmadinejad victory would push Iran back toward the rigid Islamic system of the 1979 revolution.
Rafsanjani, a self-proclaimed moderate, represents the status quo. Backers feel confident he will continue the Western-friendly reforms of outgoing President Mohammad Khatami, including business and cultural openings and youth-supported freedoms such as dating, music, and colourful headscarves for women.
Rafsanjani was Khatami’s predecessor, serving as president from 1989-97. He then became a key adviser to the ruling theocracy, which holds near-absolute power over any elected official, including the president.
He is also the head of a family conglomerate that has an airline, the contract to expand Tehran’s subway, and the bulk of the nation’s £220 million pistachio export business.
He is seen as one of the few leaders with the background and authority to challenge Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his hand-picked inner circle. Rafsanjani also portrays himself as the best hand to guide the sensitive nuclear talks with the West.
Washington claims Iran’s nuclear power programme is a cover for building atomic bombs. Iran denies this.
“Rafsanjani can manage the important issues of Iran, especially the nuclear story, in a moderate way,” said Reza Khatibi, 47, a book store owner. “If he’s not elected, I will leave this country. It will be so dangerous.”
Ahmadinejad, 49, draws indirect strength from Rafsanjani’s power. In a campaign video broadcast on Wednesday, he contrasted his humble populist style with shots of the villa of a previous mayor.
“What we need is justice,” he said. “We ask officials: ‘Why are you living in palaces?”’
It is a message that resonates strongly in a nation of vast stretches of poverty, despite its oil and gas riches. Ahmadinejad, a former Revolutionary Guards commander, urges a return to the values of sacrifice and common purpose that were espoused after the revolution toppled the US-backed monarchy and the 1980-88 war with Iraq.
His list of promises targets Iran’s underclass: higher wages, more development funds for rural areas, expanded health insurance and more social benefits for women.
For the nuclear talks, Ahmadinejad is expected to introduce a new team that could include some of Iran’s most anti-Western clerics.
| Related Stories: |
|
