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Iran
At stake: President
Background
Iran became an Islamic Republic after the monarchy was abolished in 1979. The Ayatollah Khomeini commanded a group of Muslim clerics who controlled the country for the next decade.
Just months into the new regime, militants took 52 hostages inside the American Embassy in Tehran, demanding the extradition of the exiled Shah, who had been in the United States for medical treatment. The crisis played out in the international press, and had a profound effect in the 1980 United States presidential race.
The next eight years saw Iran involved in a devastating conflict with Iraq after a border dispute. The war left close to 1 million dead on both sides.
In April 2000, the political landscape changed once more, as a coalition of reformist lawmakers emerged victorious after the parliamentary elections with 189 seats. President Mohammad Khatami—first elected in 1997—was rewarded with a new term in 2001.
The reforms proposed by Khatami made him increasingly popular with younger Iranians, an important fact in a country where voters can head to the polls at the age of 16. Still, the country’s true head of state—the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei—and the Council of Guardians did not always agree with the president’s views on Islamic traditions. Iran’s unemployment rate in early 2004—close to 20 per cent according to official estimates—was also a cause for concern.
Iran was branded as part of an "axis of evil" by U.S. president George W. Bush in January 2002.
In 2004, Iranian voters renewed the Islamic Consultative Assembly in an election marked by the banning of several candidates by the Council of Guardians.
Click here for Iran’s 2004 Legislative Election Tracker
A presidential election took place in 2005. Former Tehran mayor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won the ballot with 61.6 per cent of the vote, defeating former reformist president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.
Click here for Iran’s 2005 Presidential Election Tracker
Ahmadinejad has gained notoriety in the world stage mainly for his defiant attitude on two contentious topics. One is his stance on the Jewish holocaust in the hands of Nazis, which the president considers a "myth". Ahmadinejad has also called for Israel to be "wiped off the map."
The second controversial topic is Iran’s recent nuclear development program, which the government says is aimed solely at producing energy. The Western international community, however, accuses Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons.
In December 2006, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) unanimously voted to impose sanctions against Iran after it failed to stop uranium enrichment. Ahmadinejad claimed the sanctions were illegitimate, and announced that his country is successfully enriching uranium—a process needed both to make nuclear weapons and produce electricity—in an "industrial scale." In March 2007, a new set of UN sanctions—which include a ban on arms sales—was imposed on Iran.
On Aug. 25, 2007, Bush renewed old accusations against Iran for allegedly fomenting instability in Iraq, saying the country’s nuclear program could put the Middle East "under the shadow of a nuclear holocaust." Bush also declared: "Iran has long been a source of trouble in the region. It is the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism."
In early October, Russia blocked a new set of sanctions the UNSC was expecting to impose on Iran for continuing to develop its nuclear capabilities.
A legislative election took place in March 2008. after the first round of voting, the United Front and the Broad Front—both considered as conservative and Islamist—were deemed the winners of 88 and 75 seats each; the coalition of reformers got 23, and the National Trust Party—the second list of reformers—secured 17.
While the United Front is very close to Ahmadinejad, the Broad Front is home to more moderate conservatives.
Final results for the second round of voting in April 2008 gave conservative candidates 69 per cent of the seats, followed by reformists with 16 per cent, and independents with 14 per cent.
U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack questioned the election, declaring, "In essence the results are cooked. They are cooked in the sense that the Iranian people were not able to vote for a full range of people. (...) They are given the choice of choosing between one supporter of the regime or another supporter of the regime. They were not given the opportunity to vote for somebody who might have had different ideas."
Click Here for Iran’s 2008 Legislative Election Tracker
Since late 2008, Iran has faced a severe economic crisis. Inflation and high unemployment, as well as lowering oil prices, are the main concerns. In November 2008, Iran’s inflation rate was tabled at 24.3 per cent by the country’s central bank—the highest amongst Middle Eastern nations.
Ahmadinejad’s economic policies have been widely criticized. Some conservatives have also withdrawn their support for the president over his stance on the nuclear issue, which they say has isolated Iran from the global community.
2009 Presidential Election
This will be the tenth presidential election since the Islamic Revolution. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will seek a second term in office in the ballot scheduled for Jun. 12.
Other candidates include former prime minister Mir-Hossein Mousavi of the Iranian Reform Movement, conservative independent Mohsen Rezaee, and former legislative speaker Mehdi Karroubi.
In February 2009, a poll by Rasmussen Reports showed that 77 per cent of people in the United States think Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons.
On Mar. 17, influential former president Mohammad Khatami withdrew from the race and endorsed Mousavi’s bid, saying, "I announce my withdrawal from candidacy to preserve unity among the reformist front and to avoid a split of the votes. (…) I believe Mousavi has the necessary competence to change the current situation."
In April, an Opinion Research Corporation poll revealed that the majority of Americans want U.S. president Barack Obama to hold diplomatic talks with Iran.
On May 16, Iranian culture minister Mohammad Hossein Safar Harandi declared: "The Ministry of Culture, as a servant of the media cannot give orders, but has requested it to raise enthusiasm for the [upcoming presidential] election."
On May 18, the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the maximum leader of Iran, asked voters to reject pro-Western candidates, declaring, "The awareness of the people must shine through in the election in order to prevent those who will surrender to the enemies, and embarrass the nation, from coming to power." Khamenei went on to say that an anti-nationalist candidate "would want to, naively, create an opportunity for Iran by flattering the arrogant Western powers—this would be a disaster for the nation."
On the same day, Mousavi launched a new daily newspaper called Kalameh Sabz (Green Word). The reformist candidate said the daily "is aimed at creating a mirror-like newspaper, to show who we are and what we stand for and to guide us in finding our path."
On May 19, Mousavi vowed to promote women’s rights if elected, adding, "There is no hurdle for presence of women in highest ranks in the Islamic Republic of Iran and I will try to make use of women in top jobs in the future administration."
Also on May 19, Karroubi—a cleric and independent reformist candidate—criticized Ahmadinejad’s handling of the economy and accused him of disregarding the opinions of experts, saying, "These one-man decision makings, the way he distributes money, taking out substantial funds from the foreign exchange reserves and sacking very good economic figures, are things which I will not carry forward from Mr. Ahmadinejad. (…) The cabinet shuffles under Mr. Ahmadinejad have been unprecedented. In less than four years, we have had three new heads of the central bank, at least three interior ministers and two economy ministers."
On the same day, Ahmadinejad said the government will now offer oil bonds or "participation certificates" that would allow ordinary people to have a stake in Iran’s oil revenues. The incumbent president declared: "Under this plan, the oil income will be distributed among all the people. This plan eases our dependence on others in financing the oil industry and puts the income of this industry at the disposal of all Iranians."
During the three-week electoral campaign, Ahmadinejad branded himself as an anti-corruption crusader, while Mousavi questioned his handling of the economy.
On Jun. 6, the two main candidates took part in a televised debate. During the debate, Ahmadinejad claimed that Mousavi’s wife “received her PhD without attending university exams.” Mousavi said his wife, Zahra Rahnavard, is “a prominent intellectual who worked for 10 years to get her PhD,” and added: “I am coming to change this mentality, so that nobody suffers from public accusation. You are endangering the country.”
Voting took place on Jun. 12. Facing an unexpectedly-high turnout, the electoral body announced in the morning that voting stations would remain open for two additional hours.
As he cast his vote in a mosque in Tehran, Ahmadinejad attributed the high turnout to people’s wish for continuing on a path of “pride, progress and prosperity.”
The Ayatollah Khamenei voted early, and declared: “As far as I see and hear, passion and motivation is very high among people. We expect people at packed polling stations to be able to choose the best choice for heading the executive branch for four years.”
Mousavi complained of irregularities and also noted that text-messaging was unavailable throughout the day, hampering communication amongst young voters—many of whom support him. The candidate declared: “Unfortunately, some of my representatives were blocked from entering polling stations and SMS [text messaging] is also down, which is against the law. (…) We should not be fearful about the free flow of information, and I urge officials to observe the law.”
At the end of the day, Mousavi claimed victory calling himself the “definite” winner. But minutes later, state media declared Ahmadinejad the victor instead.
On Jun. 13, official results placed Ahmadinejad as the winner with 62.63 per cent of the vote, followed by Mousavi with 33.75 per cent.
Mousavi rejected the published numbers, saying, “I will not surrender to this dangerous charade. The result of such performance by some officials will jeopardize the pillars of the Islamic Republic and will establish tyranny.”
Turnout was tabled at a record-high 85 per cent.
Thousands of Mousavi supporters, wearing green clothes, have taken to the streets to protest the outcome since the day after the election. The demonstrations—which call for a new election—spread to practically all major cities.
Civilians and journalists alike have complained of widespread Internet and media censorship during the protests. Foreign reporters have been summoned to stay in their hotels and are forbidden from attending any of the opposition rallies.
On Jun. 16, U.S. president Barack Obama discussed the situation in Iran, saying, “It is not productive, given the history of U.S.-Iranian relations to be seen as meddling—the U.S. president, meddling in Iranian elections. (...) When I see violence directed at peaceful protestors, when I see peaceful dissent being suppressed—wherever that takes place—it is a concern to me and it is a concern to the American people.”
Iran’s true head of state—the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei—first called the re-election of Ahmadinejad a “massive success” and a “divine blessing”, but later agreed to a partial recount of the vote. On Jun. 19, Khamenei said that public demonstrations are “not acceptable” and that opposition leaders would be “held responsible for chaos” if they fail to end the protests.
On the same public speech, Khamenei caused a diplomatic rift with Britain as he called the country “the most evil” of Western governments. The leader was criticizing foreign intervention in the election crisis. Britain summoned its ambassador to Iran, Rasul Movaheddian, following Khamenei’s address.
Also on Jun. 19, human rights watchdog Amnesty International said that at least 10 people have died during this week’s protests. A statement from the group also said that “In addition, at least four students are currently unaccounted for following [an] attack on the Tehran University dormitory.”
On that same day, UN high commissioner for human rights Navi Pillay referred to the situation in Iran, saying, “It is the responsibility of the government to ensure that militia members and regular law enforcement agencies do not resort to illegal acts of violence” against protesters.
On Jun. 20, police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse a crowd in Tehran. The government had banned street demonstrations, but an estimated 3,000 people took to the streets.
Ahmadinejad is expected to be sworn in early August.
On Jul. 24, the Ayatollah Khamenei ordered Ahmadinejad to fire one of his most senior vice-presidents and one of his closest friends, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie. The supreme leader said about Mashaie, who was serving as tourism minister, that “It is necessary to announce the cancellation of this appointment.”
On Aug. 5, Ahmadinejad was sworn in as president for the second time and made a reference to the U.S. government in his speech, declaring, "We heard that some of the western leaders have decided to recognize but not congratulate the new government. Well, no one in Iran [was] waiting for your messages. The Iranian nation neither values your scowls and threats, nor your smiles and greetings."
Political Players
Rahbar: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
President: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
The Rahbar is the leader of the Islamic Republic. The president is elected to a four-year term by popular vote.
Legislative Branch: The Majlis-e-Shura-ye-Eslami (Islamic Consultative Assembly) has 290 members, elected to four-year terms in multi-seat and single-seat constituencies. All assembly candidates have to be approved by the Shura-E-Nigahban (Council of Guardians) in order to run. The Council is charged with examining all legislation passed by the Assembly, to ensure that it conforms to Islamic law. The Council has twelve members; six clergymen chosen by the Leadership Council, plus six Muslim lawyers selected by the High Council of Justice. Council members serve six-year terms. Six posts are changed every three years.
Results of Last Election:
President - Jun. 12, 2009
|
Vote% |
|
|
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad |
62.63% |
|
Mir-Hossein Mousavi |
33.75% |
|
Mohsen Rezaee |
1.73% |
|
Mehdi Karroubi |
0.85% |
Islamic Consultative Assembly - Mar. 14 and Apr. 25, 2008
|
|
First |
Second |
Total |
|
Unified Principalists Front |
90 |
27 |
117 |
|
Broad Principalists Coalition |
42 |
11 |
53 |
|
Reformists |
31 |
15 |
46 |
|
Independents |
40 |
29 |
69 |
|
Armenians (Minority Religion) |
2 |
-- |
2 |
|
Chaldean and Assyrian Catholic (Minority Religion) |
1 |
-- |
1 |
|
Jewish (Minority Religion) |
1 |
-- |
1 |
|
Zoroastrian (Minority Religion) |
1 |
-- |
1 |