Ahmadinejad opponents leading elections (1 Viewer)

[tecoyah]

Good News......I seriously hope so...we shall see.

Ahmadinejad opponents leading elections
By ALI AKBAR DAREINI, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 37 minutes ago

TEHRAN, Iran - Opponents of hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took an early lead in key races in
Iran's local elections, according to partial results announced Monday, with moderate conservatives winning control of councils across the country.


If the final results hold — especially in the bellwether capital, Tehran — it will be an embarrassment to Ahmadinejad, whose anti-Israeli rhetoric and unyielding position on Iran's nuclear program have provoked condemnation in the West and moves toward sanctions at the
U.N. Security Council.

The incomplete results announced by the Interior Ministry suggested that the winners were mostly moderate conservatives opposed to the hardline president, rather than reformists.

However, reformists, who want to bring a measure of liberalism to Iranian society and improve the country's relationship with the West, were quick to proclaim victory.

"Early results show that Mr. Ahmadinejad's list has suffered a decisive defeat nationwide," the Islamic Iran Participation Front, the largest reformist party, said in a statement. "It is a big 'no' to the government's authoritarian and inefficient methods."

 

[MSgt]

Don't be surprised if those old bitter Mullahs in Tehran count the votes in their favor.

 

[FierceEnigma12z]

Heh, it'd be nice to see him out...but, Iran is still on my crazy list as of now.

 

[Kandahar]

Rumor has it that this was engineered, in large part, by Ali Khamenei and Akhbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Apparently even Khamenei thinks Ahmadinejad is nuts. I wouldn't call this a great victory for the moderates, as that definition has moved further and further rightward in recent years. If Khamenei and Rafsanjani are now considered moderates, what does that say about the overall direction of the Iranian leadership?

 

[jujuman13]

The so called panel of experts are the ones who elect the President.
Only one of these so called experts has been defeated and will be replaced by someone who is considered to be a little less dogmatic than Ahmadinejad.
But being a little less dogmatic by no means indicates he is a moderate, realist perhaps, but not a moderate.

Iran is governed by the Clerics and they determine who will be the candidates for any position.

This means that any reformists who stray too far out of line from what the Clerics believe will never be permitted to stand for any seat of power however slight.

The only way by which these Clerics will be removed from power is through a revolution, somehow I doubt we shall see another of these in Iran in our lifetime.

Yes it is a delight to see Ahmadinejad getting a bloody nose, but he will remain President until the Clerics decide he has outlived his usefullness.

 

[Volker]

The so called panel of experts are the ones who elect the President.

The Assembly of Experts appoints and approves the Supreme Leader, this is Mr. Khamenei.

The people elects the President, this is Mr. Ahmadinejad.

 

[Kandahar]

The Assembly of Experts appoints and approves the Supreme Leader, this is Mr. Khamenei.

The people elects the President, this is Mr. Ahmadinejad.

Correct.

The Council of Experts elects/deposes the supreme leader, and the people elect the Council of Experts. However, all of the candidates for the Council of Experts are vetted by the Council of Guardians (who are appointed by the supreme leader) and the "undesirable" ones are not allowed to run for a seat on the Council of Experts.

Yes, this was a loss for Ahmadinejad, but it was a win for the #1 and #2 leaders in Iran - Khamenei and Rafsanjani. They're hardly moderates by my definition. I fail to see how this is a good thing...aside from the fact that things can always get worse in the Middle East.

 

[FierceEnigma12z]

I don't see any good coming out of this either.Iran hasn't become any less threatening.