Post by Salem6 on Feb 21, 2004 12:07:29 GMT
Voter turnout in Iran's controversial election may have been higher than expected, according to early estimates.
A top election official, Ahmad Azimzadeh, said more than 30% of voters went to the polls in the Tehran area.
Iran's conservatives were hoping for a strong turnout
A pre-election government survey suggested the turnout would be as low as 10% in the large cities, though it predicted 30% participation nationwide.
Reformists say a victory for hardliners is inevitable after about 2,500 pro-reform candidates were disqualified.
The election was condemned as neither free nor fair by the US, by an official using unusually strong language.
Credibility test
First results from outlying areas showed wins for conservative candidates but moderate reformists are standing in some of the larger constituencies so it may be some time before a clear picture of the voting emerges, observers say.
The final results are not expected until next week.
The BBC's Jim Muir in Tehran says that much of the early attention is being focused on the turnout figures, particularly with the country's supreme leader urging everyone to vote while some reformists called for a boycott.
If the conservatives are returned with a low voter turnout behind them, their credibility and legitimacy will be in question, our correspondent says.
But if they win a respectable number of votes, it will be a different question, he adds.
An interior ministry source quoted by Reuters news agency said early returns backed the higher-than-expected participation rates in Tehran and showed a national turnout of about 50%.
The deadline for voting was extended several times on Friday but that is not unusual, correspondents say.
Turnout reached 67% in the 2000 elections, when reformists won two-thirds of the 290-seat Majlis, or parliament.
Bans and barbs
Many reformist candidates were barred from running this time by the conservative Council of Guardians, an unelected 12-member body which vets elections.
The Council said the disqualifications were necessary because of the candidates' alleged indifference to Islam and to the constitution, or accused them of questioning the supreme leader's powers.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
The US state department condemned the ban by the Council in what correspondents said was unusually strong terms.
"Candidates have been barred from participating in the elections in an attempt to limit the choice of the Iranian people for their government," spokesman Adam Ereli said.
"These actions do not represent free and fair elections and are not consistent with international norms."
The biggest of Iran's reform parties, the Participation Front, decided not to contest the poll after many of its top members were disqualified. But other reform factions closer to the centre of the political spectrum did take part.
Video:-
The BBC's Matthew Charles
"It looks increasingly likely that the Iranian Parliament will return to the conservatives""
news.bbc.co.uk/media/video/39886000/rm/_39886861_iran07_charles21_vi.ram
Iran elections: Key people and parties
As Iran prepares for parliamentary elections, BBC News Online looks at the key parties and individuals shaping the political arena.
Parties: Conservatives
Militant Clergy Association: Secretary-general is Mohammad Reza Mahdavi-Kani
Islamic Coalition Party: Secretary-general is Habibollah Asgarowladi
Association of Islamic Revolution Loyalists: Secretary-general is Hasan Ghaffuri-Fard
Moderation and Development Party: Secretary-general is Mohammad Baqer Nowbakht
E'telaf-e Khedmatgozaran-e Mostaqel-e Iran: Spokesman is Emad Afruq
Iranian Nation's Welfare Party: Secretary-general is Khalil Ali Mohammadzadeh
Parties: Reformists
In 1999, 18 political groups announced the formation of the 2 Khordad Front (23 May Front, a reference to the date of President Khatami's election in 1997). The aim was to adopt a unified strategy and to field the greatest number of joint candidates in the 2000 elections.
The group includes:
Militant Clerics Society: Secretary-general is Mehdi Karrubi, outgoing Majlis speaker. President Mohammad Khatami is also a member
Islamic Iran Participation Front: Secretary-general is Mohammad Reza Khatami, outgoing deputy Majlis speaker and President Khatami's brother
Executives of Construction Party: Secretary-general Gholamhoseyn Karbaschi, former mayor of Tehran
Society of Forces Following the Line of the Imam: Secretary-general is Hadi Khamenei (brother of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei)
Organisation of the Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution: Secretary-general is Mohammad Salamati
Islamic Labour Party: Secretary-general is Abolqasem Sarhadizadeh, an outgoing deputy for Tehran
Workers' House: Secretary-general is Alireza Mahjub, an outgoing deputy for Tehran
Islamic Iran Solidarity Party: Secretary-general is Ebrahim Asgharzadeh
There are also a few, small groups within the "New reformist front" and a few opposition groups.
People to watch: Conservatives
Habibollah Asgarowladi: The long-time leader of the Islamic Coalition Association registered as a candidate for these elections but is reported to have pulled out, apparently to make way for conservative candidates running under the new name "Developers of Islamic Iran". As an old guard figure, he is thought to have been under pressure to step down to allow his faction to take on a younger, more modern image.
Asadollah Badamchian: A long-time member of the Islamic Coalition Association who also registered as a candidate but is reported to have stepped down.
Hasan Rowhani: A "pragmatic conservative" in the mould of ex-president Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani, Mr Rowhani has been in the limelight in recent months in his capacity as the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei's representative in the Supreme National Security Council. He stood in Tehran in the last elections but was not elected, and is thought to be a favoured choice among the conservatives for the next Majlis speaker.
People to watch: Reformists
Mehdi Karrubi: The outgoing Majlis speaker has tried to play the role of peacemaker between the reformists and conservatives. He is a candidate for Tehran and is secretary-general of the Militant Clerics Society.
Mohammad Reza Khatami: An outgoing deputy speaker and the brother of President Khatami, Mohammad Reza Khatami is the leader of the Islamic Iran Participation Front. He stood as a candidate for Tehran, but was disqualified by the Guardian Council in January 2004. He appealed the decision and was among 116 MPs who resigned on 1 February. The ban has been upheld.
Mohsen Mirdamadi: The chairman of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee and deputy secretary-general of the Islamic Iran Participation Front, Mr Mirdamadi was also disqualified and has resigned.
Behzad Nabavi: An outgoing deputy speaker, the former heavy industries minister has faced repeated but unsuccessful attempts by conservatives to implicate him in financial and political offences. He was disqualified in January 2004, appealed the decision and resigned on 1 February. The ban on his candidacy has been upheld.
Ali Akbar Mohtashami-Pur: Leader of the 2 Khordad Front reformist umbrella group in the outgoing Majlis and also a member of Militant Clerics Society. Although allowed to stand in the elections, he has pullled out, although other Militant Clerics Society members are still standing.
A top election official, Ahmad Azimzadeh, said more than 30% of voters went to the polls in the Tehran area.
Iran's conservatives were hoping for a strong turnout
A pre-election government survey suggested the turnout would be as low as 10% in the large cities, though it predicted 30% participation nationwide.
Reformists say a victory for hardliners is inevitable after about 2,500 pro-reform candidates were disqualified.
The election was condemned as neither free nor fair by the US, by an official using unusually strong language.
Credibility test
First results from outlying areas showed wins for conservative candidates but moderate reformists are standing in some of the larger constituencies so it may be some time before a clear picture of the voting emerges, observers say.
The final results are not expected until next week.
The BBC's Jim Muir in Tehran says that much of the early attention is being focused on the turnout figures, particularly with the country's supreme leader urging everyone to vote while some reformists called for a boycott.
If the conservatives are returned with a low voter turnout behind them, their credibility and legitimacy will be in question, our correspondent says.
But if they win a respectable number of votes, it will be a different question, he adds.
An interior ministry source quoted by Reuters news agency said early returns backed the higher-than-expected participation rates in Tehran and showed a national turnout of about 50%.
The deadline for voting was extended several times on Friday but that is not unusual, correspondents say.
Turnout reached 67% in the 2000 elections, when reformists won two-thirds of the 290-seat Majlis, or parliament.
Bans and barbs
Many reformist candidates were barred from running this time by the conservative Council of Guardians, an unelected 12-member body which vets elections.
The Council said the disqualifications were necessary because of the candidates' alleged indifference to Islam and to the constitution, or accused them of questioning the supreme leader's powers.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
The US state department condemned the ban by the Council in what correspondents said was unusually strong terms.
"Candidates have been barred from participating in the elections in an attempt to limit the choice of the Iranian people for their government," spokesman Adam Ereli said.
"These actions do not represent free and fair elections and are not consistent with international norms."
The biggest of Iran's reform parties, the Participation Front, decided not to contest the poll after many of its top members were disqualified. But other reform factions closer to the centre of the political spectrum did take part.
Video:-
The BBC's Matthew Charles
"It looks increasingly likely that the Iranian Parliament will return to the conservatives""
news.bbc.co.uk/media/video/39886000/rm/_39886861_iran07_charles21_vi.ram
Iran elections: Key people and parties
As Iran prepares for parliamentary elections, BBC News Online looks at the key parties and individuals shaping the political arena.
Parties: Conservatives
Militant Clergy Association: Secretary-general is Mohammad Reza Mahdavi-Kani
Islamic Coalition Party: Secretary-general is Habibollah Asgarowladi
Association of Islamic Revolution Loyalists: Secretary-general is Hasan Ghaffuri-Fard
Moderation and Development Party: Secretary-general is Mohammad Baqer Nowbakht
E'telaf-e Khedmatgozaran-e Mostaqel-e Iran: Spokesman is Emad Afruq
Iranian Nation's Welfare Party: Secretary-general is Khalil Ali Mohammadzadeh
Parties: Reformists
In 1999, 18 political groups announced the formation of the 2 Khordad Front (23 May Front, a reference to the date of President Khatami's election in 1997). The aim was to adopt a unified strategy and to field the greatest number of joint candidates in the 2000 elections.
The group includes:
Militant Clerics Society: Secretary-general is Mehdi Karrubi, outgoing Majlis speaker. President Mohammad Khatami is also a member
Islamic Iran Participation Front: Secretary-general is Mohammad Reza Khatami, outgoing deputy Majlis speaker and President Khatami's brother
Executives of Construction Party: Secretary-general Gholamhoseyn Karbaschi, former mayor of Tehran
Society of Forces Following the Line of the Imam: Secretary-general is Hadi Khamenei (brother of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei)
Organisation of the Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution: Secretary-general is Mohammad Salamati
Islamic Labour Party: Secretary-general is Abolqasem Sarhadizadeh, an outgoing deputy for Tehran
Workers' House: Secretary-general is Alireza Mahjub, an outgoing deputy for Tehran
Islamic Iran Solidarity Party: Secretary-general is Ebrahim Asgharzadeh
There are also a few, small groups within the "New reformist front" and a few opposition groups.
People to watch: Conservatives
Habibollah Asgarowladi: The long-time leader of the Islamic Coalition Association registered as a candidate for these elections but is reported to have pulled out, apparently to make way for conservative candidates running under the new name "Developers of Islamic Iran". As an old guard figure, he is thought to have been under pressure to step down to allow his faction to take on a younger, more modern image.
Asadollah Badamchian: A long-time member of the Islamic Coalition Association who also registered as a candidate but is reported to have stepped down.
Hasan Rowhani: A "pragmatic conservative" in the mould of ex-president Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani, Mr Rowhani has been in the limelight in recent months in his capacity as the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei's representative in the Supreme National Security Council. He stood in Tehran in the last elections but was not elected, and is thought to be a favoured choice among the conservatives for the next Majlis speaker.
People to watch: Reformists
Mehdi Karrubi: The outgoing Majlis speaker has tried to play the role of peacemaker between the reformists and conservatives. He is a candidate for Tehran and is secretary-general of the Militant Clerics Society.
Mohammad Reza Khatami: An outgoing deputy speaker and the brother of President Khatami, Mohammad Reza Khatami is the leader of the Islamic Iran Participation Front. He stood as a candidate for Tehran, but was disqualified by the Guardian Council in January 2004. He appealed the decision and was among 116 MPs who resigned on 1 February. The ban has been upheld.
Mohsen Mirdamadi: The chairman of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee and deputy secretary-general of the Islamic Iran Participation Front, Mr Mirdamadi was also disqualified and has resigned.
Behzad Nabavi: An outgoing deputy speaker, the former heavy industries minister has faced repeated but unsuccessful attempts by conservatives to implicate him in financial and political offences. He was disqualified in January 2004, appealed the decision and resigned on 1 February. The ban on his candidacy has been upheld.
Ali Akbar Mohtashami-Pur: Leader of the 2 Khordad Front reformist umbrella group in the outgoing Majlis and also a member of Militant Clerics Society. Although allowed to stand in the elections, he has pullled out, although other Militant Clerics Society members are still standing.