It was the election that so many — both inside and outside of Iran — had so much hope riding on. But there was no fairytale ending for those looking to see change and reform in Friday’s Iranian presidential election, with incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad returning to power and many Iranians taking to the streets in protest despite severe police repercussions.
So where did it all go wrong? Is this just a blatantly rigged election as so many analysts are declaring? Or did the Western commentariat grossly misinterpret the sentiment of Iran’s working class, projecting our own hopes onto a very different country and culture?
Here’s what the pundits had to say:
Democracy is the loser in Iran’s “free” election. The election results, announced over the weekend, lack all credibility. The exceptionally high turnout of 85 per cent should have favoured his main rival, Mir-Hossein Mousavi, particularly in the capital, Tehran, and in Mr Mousavi’s northwestern heartland of Azerbaijan . — The Telegraph
What Ahmadinejad’s win means for Iran, Israel and the US. It appears that the working classes and the rural poor — the people who do not much look or act or talk like us — voted overwhelmingly for the scruffy, scrappy president who looks and acts and talks more or less like them. And while Mousavi and his supporters are protesting and even scuffling with police, they are just as likely to be overwhelmed in the streets as they were at the polls. — Christopher Dickey, Newsweek
Tehran’s streets become a battleground. In neighborhoods across north and central Tehran, shouts of “Death to dictator!” fill the air, mostly in female voices, coming from house windows. There are also shouts of “Allah-o Akbar!” — reminiscent of the revolution — on the urging of a communique from Mousavi’s office. — Nahid Siamdoust , TIME
Reverberations as door slams on hope of change. For those who dreamed of a gentler Iran, Saturday was a day of smoldering anger, crushed hopes and punctured illusions, from the streets of Tehran to the policy centers of Western capitals. — Bill Keller, New York Times
An absurd outcome. The notion that nearly two-thirds of Iranians want another four years of Ahmadinejad strains any credulity. By nearly every measure, his presidency has been disastrous for most Iranians. — Suzanne Maloney , The Daily Beast
Iran erupts as voters back “the Democrator”. First the cop screamed abuse at Mir Hossein Mousavi’s supporter, a white-shirted youth with a straggling beard and unkempt hair. Then he smashed his baton into the young man’s face. Then he kicked him viciously in the testicles … It was an easy message to understand. A smash in the face, a kick in the balls and Long Live the Democrator. — Robert Fisk, The Independent
For what it is worth Robert Fisk is the world’s leading commentator on the Middle East. To be not guided by what he has to say would be farcical.
How depressing.
As for a ‘moderate’ oposition bombing buses and terrorising the streets of Tehran one may just wonder what changes could have been expected if Mousavi had won.
Mousavi attractaed only 14% popularity in the preselection process so his chances to win were rather slim right from the beginning.
Interesting, that nobody reported any irregularities during the election and votes counting.
It’s not the first time that some western powers are trying to meddle with Iranian affairs. Let’s hope that we would use the same yardstick during the election in … Saudi Arabia, Brunei or Somalia. Interestingly enough, that fabricated election in Kosovo went totally unnoticed.
It makes you wonder how genuine were the elections in Afghanistan or Iraq. Some countries than others.
And I have some doubts whether the peroxide blondes of leafy suburbs in Northern Tehran do represent the majority of Iranian women.
What about the US elections in 2000?I’m no supporter of Iran or the current President, but I find all the chest beating hypocritical to say the least. In 2000 in the US, the person in charge of the Republican campaign in Florida was the same woman Judge or ordered that the votes not be counted or recounted. The Governor of Florida was Jeb Bush, brother of the ‘elected’ George W?
In Palestine when HAMAS won the election, the US stated from the outset, that it wouldn’t acknowledge the new govt, in fact, they cut off funds etc to Gaza. There was no question that the election was fair.
In Afghanistan, the President has a history of being involved in the oil industry. The US told the Taliban in 2001 (several weeks before 9/11) that it was going to bomb that country in late October. (Both the Clinton Administration and then Bush, met with the Taliban on several occasions re the Caspean Sea bounty of oil and gas.)Why? Because the Taliban wouldn’t agree to the US/ ‘request’ to agree to a pipeline through Afghanistan to carry the $16 Trillion of oil and gas in the Caspean Sea to the West. This nonsense from the West is just, well, if it wasn’t a gross act of hypocrisy and nonsense, it would be funny. Thanks to the invasion and occupation of Afghanistan, and the interference of the US in the so-called elections, the Parliament is full of crooks, drug peddlers, Northern Alliance and war lords whose past acts of torture, oppression and murder make the Taliban look tame. The token woman who was elected and lauded in George W’s address to the nation, needs a 24 hr guard, and has death threats on a regular basis.
The fact is, that Iran IS a member of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and Israel is not. Iran doesn’t have a nuclear weapon (yet?) but Israel has hundreds?Thousands? Who asks to inspect their nuclear facilities? The man who told the world about them, although out of jail, is under house arrest? Pakistan and India both have nuclear weapons, but nobody in the West asks to see them or think that it’s not desirable? Look how volatile Pakistan is at the moment?
We sell our uranium to China. There’s nothing in the Howard Govt’s agreement that ensures that our uranium is not used for nuclear weapons – not a word, not a guarantee, no inspections etc. We’re just too pleased to sell it, thank you China?
I’ve just finished reading an article, where a Palestinian infant was allowed to die, as Israel refused his parents permission to travel past the check point. Parents and other Palestinians have to promise something in return(become informers??) for being allowed to go to Israel for, usually, urgent medical treatment. Israel doesn’t allow Arabs to use bomb shelters, only Jews, and yet it’s lauded as a democracy. There’s only democracy for Jews in Israel, and people like me who raise the injustices are labelled anti-semetic – I just get sick of the bloody crap! The most gross acts of hypocrisy go on each day, and the media in this country gets on the US/Israeli/West bandwagon. Enough!
The way we treat aboriginal people in this country is as bad as Israel treats the Palestinians. If you need some convincing, watch 4 Corners on line. It’s sickening!
PS. forgot Iraq! Those in the so-called government in Iraq are only those who got the OK from the US. Most are business men who don’t even spend all their time in the country. They’re off to Paris or London taking care of business, ans swan around in their silk suits while there’s 70% unemployment, at least half the population of kids are malnourished and suffering psychological stress of some kind.
They(govt members) sell out the views of the people, and serve only the US. Take the latest agreement re the dishing out of billions of dollars of future oil to US oil companies. They removed the nationalization of the Oil Industry, which is the way it operates in every other country, and will privatize it with agreements that will do the Iraqi people out of huge numbers of billions of dollars over the next years.
The US tore up their constitution, including the Laws that protected women against rape and other crimes of violence. In short, where there’s OIL the US doesn’t give a damn about democracy, they’re only interested in STABILITY? Australia slavishly follows both the US/British criminal acts and so we’re all culpable. Let’s not take the high moral ground; it’s pathetic!
Rena Zurwal – so ‘irregularities’ don’t exist if monitors/scrutineers aren’t allowed to be present during vote counts? That’s a funny definition of irregularity you have there.
I’d have thought the counting of votes at lightening pace (the results were known days before they were anticipated) plus the across-the-board regularity of the election results (eg none of the opposition candidates appeared to have any home-town advantage, which would be a first for election results anywhere) were not just irregular, they are very solid evidence of shocking electoral corruption.