June 17th
I am tired and emotionally stirred up. I am just going to write down a few thoughts and try to keep a cool head:
All started with the accusations of rigged elections – see Why our votes were stolen. If there was a neutral oversight of the counting (I am not talking about international observers. It was possible to organize one using local observers) much of these claims could have been kept away.
Now that we are here, much of the turmoil could have been avoided by an immediate application of existing laws on such claims.
Let’s assume that the announced results prove to be correct, it is safe to state that a section of 15 millions of the eligible voters have expressed their frustration. Calling them thugs, trash or bad losers does not help. This large section of society should feel integrated in the public life.
The current events are also the revival of what we call the Khatami era. During and after two presidential mandates, Khatami has been harshly blamed for having failed to deliver what he promised. Now he and other reformists have joined the camp of Moussavi, trying to make up for what they were not able to accomplish in the past.
I sincerely hope that all could come together as soon as possible and find a plausible compromise and thus avoid to further radicalize the population and minimize risks of malevolent foreign meddling.
A few interesting links:
Is the election pitting the poor vs. the middle class? A glance at the demographic economy of the voters
Rafsanjani’s gambit backfires. Looking into the game of the main political figures
and Khamenei rides a storm in a tea cup by M K Bhadrakumar
- Progressive observers are extremely suspicious of the motives and intentions behind the newfound concern for the Iranian people. See:
The “Bomb Iran” contingent’s newfound concern for The Iranian People
More articles in Iran category at P U L S E
See also here
Done
We went to vote at around noon expecting less people at lunch time. It took us about 3 hours and a half to cast our vote.
See also: Election day in Iran
‘Our’ Iran
Iranian elections: live
Update 1: Poll closed. Voting was extended four times.
Update 2: Moussavi’s website: Despite many irregularities in polling stations Moussavi is leading by a large margin.
Update 3: According to sites close to Ahmadi-Nejad, he has won the elections with 69% of the votes
Update 4: Snippets from Voters: IRNA (The Iranian News Agency) claims with 20% of all votes counted, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad leads the race. IR’s official Iran news agency, has declared Ahmadinejad the winner of the election.
Update 5: پیام دریافت شد؛ اصلاحات را فراموش کنید
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- The Man Who Could Beat Ahmadinejad: Mousavi Talks to TIME
- Congress-Ahmadinejad Secret Love Affair Continues: The Iran Refine Petroleum Sanctions Act, by Trita Parsi
- Philip Weiss: Obama’s Iran man is still pictured on site calling for sanctions on Iran
- “Don’t Cry For Me Ahmadinejad”: “When it comes to the Iranian presidential elections, Jerusalem is convinced that it is in fact Iran’s current president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is the best candidate to serve Israel’s interests. ‘We’re better off with him getting elected,’ said a senior political source. ‘The prevailing opinion here is that Ahmadinejad just speaks his mind. How are the others any different? They’re just nicer, but they think exactly like him.'”
In less than 8 hours …
” … if the Iranian people do so desire it, Iranian society will continue on this natural and sustainable path of change and reform. Of course, this is provided that foreign powers do not interfere in a way that will destroy this movement, or hurl it back a hundred years or more.” Read the article
See also Campaing round up, Moussavi’s agenda and more at Tehran Bureau
A story within The story
From Opium and Saffron:
“These nights, I also wrap green band on my wrist, my eye shadow is also green. I and 14-15 of my friends have bought two green nail polishes, and paint our nails the color green. These nights, we come from downtown to the posh northern part of the city to arrive with the first crowd of happy people and start dancing with them.
These days and nights, I constantly take out my armband, and again ask a posh boy to wrap a new green band for me and again the scent of his perfume lives on my wrist for two days. These nights are the only nights that we are not clowned because of our poverty.” … read more
See also: How does an election look in Iran
We are half of Iran’s population
A very interesting project undertaken by the internationally and critically acclaimed Iranian film director and screenwriter Rakhshan Bani Etemad:
All four candidates of the upcoming Iranian presidential elections are invited to see a movie documenting gender discriminatory laws as well as precise demands as expressed by women activists from various organizations.
After seeing the movie, each of the candidates are asked to explain their future programs regarding these issues. Mr. Karoobi, Moussavi and Rezai took part in this project.
This documentary relate the whole event including the three presidential candidates reactions.
Part 2 – Part 3 – Part 4 – Part 5
رخشان بنیاعتماد اولین فیلم مستند انتخاباتی را کلید زد/گزارشی تازه ار فیلمهای انتخاباتی نامزدهای انتخابات؛
ما نیمی از جمعیت ایران هستیم
Sir, wait your turn!
The previous Iranian presidential election coincided with my discovery of the internet. I already used a PC for most of my work but not much the internet. Reading local publications and watching movies were enough for my spare time. The net seemed a messy place; I didn’t know where to start. The slow and erratic dial up connection didn’t make it any easier.
The 2005 election was one of my motives to go through the internet to figure out what was going on. There were many sites related to the elections, and I started to discover young Iranian bloggers who had made of Iran the third most blogging nation of that time.
Today, with the presidential elections in two weeks, the Iranian net is full of articles and posts by bloggers from all side of the spectrum discussing or sharing their evaluation of the candidates.
To have a taste of what is going on check Pedestrian (who doesn’t want a first lady), Naj and Shahrzad who has translated the opinion of each candidate’s supporters. You can also browse doxdo (a feed reader of English blogs by Iranians). There is more activity in blogs written in Persian. I have just translated what a facetuous Mandana has to say:
Sir, Wait your turn!
When I read the news that while applicants were kept behind the door Mr. Karoubi was allowed in to register for the presidential elections, and others were able to enter and register only after he was done, this came to my mind:
Isn’t there supposed to be an order to register to the presidential election? I mean they show up, they line up, and then register when it’s their turn, right? Or one can also register by appointment? Can anyone have an appointment? Are these pretentious big heads who are going to run our country serious on such an elementary issue as respecting others? I mean will they wait like everyone else for their turn or use the privilege card to shortcut?
I will only vote for the one who waits his turn like all others, even if it is Ahmadi-Nejad 🙂
I am a little disheartened. I think Obama’s election has disheartened me with the whole idea of democracy. If in the most powerful and democratic country of the world, a candidate can campaign telling one thing and do the opposite, what could we expect in our country besieged by all sides, and with so many problems?
Anyway, I will vote and I will do so for the fate and the faith of/in the Iranian youth.
Other places to look:
The Foreign Policy Factor in Iran’s Presidential Race by Farideh Farhi
Just Foreign Policy
Informed Comment: Global Affairs
Shadowed Forest of World Politics
Tehran bureau
The “We” Factor
Belated post about the American election. I followed as much as I was able to do so. It reminded me of our Khatami era. I just found Pedestrian’s great post. Don’t miss it.
Forever Under Construction 
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