Iran upholds Ahmadinejad victory

Iran upheld president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s election victory despite massive opposition protests over what many branded a rigged poll that triggered the worst crisis since the 1979 revolution.

The country’s powerful electoral watchdog confirmed yesterday the initial result of the disputed June 12 vote which gave Ahmadinejad a landslide victory over his nearest rival Mir Hossein Moussavi, after conducting a recount of 10% of the ballot boxes.

The streets of Tehran remained deserted with security forces withdrawing from their positions after being deployed Monday to prevent any outbreak of new violence.

The 12-member Guardians Council said it confirmed the results after a “thorough and comprehensive investigation” into the election”.
“The majority of the objections were not deemed infringements or fraud and were only minor irregularities that occur in any election,” Guardians Council chief Ayatollah Ahmad Janati said. “Thus we confirm the result of the 10th presidential election.”

The next formal step is for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to confirm Ahmadinejad as president. Parliament will swear him in a few weeks later. It is not clear whether Moussavi will pursue his demand for the vote to be cancelled and risk arrest or accept defeat

But the US warned that the decision may not placate the opposition, and Italy warned of possible further sanctions against Iran.