Iranian presidential election, 2005
Encyclopedia
Iran's ninth presidential election took place in two rounds, the first on June 17, 2005, the run-off
Two-round system
The two-round system is a voting system used to elect a single winner where the voter casts a single vote for their chosen candidate...
on June 24. Mohammad Khatami
Mohammad Khatami
Sayyid Mohammad Khātamī is an Iranian scholar, philosopher, Shiite theologian and Reformist politician. He served as the fifth President of Iran from August 2, 1997 to August 3, 2005. He also served as Iran's Minister of Culture in both the 1980s and 1990s...
, the previous President of Iran
President of Iran
The President of Iran is the highest popularly elected official in, and the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Iran; although subordinate to the Supreme Leader of Iran, who functions as the country's head of state...
, stepped down on August 2, 2005, after serving his maximum two consecutive four-year terms according to the Islamic Republic's constitution. The election led to the victory of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the hardline mayor of Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
, with 19.48% of the votes in the first round and 61.69% in the second. Factors thought to have contributed to Ahmadinejad's victory include mobilization of mosque networks and conservative/hardline voters, and a protest vote against corrupt elite insiders and for `new political blood` . A loyal supporter of conservative Supreme Leader Khamenei, Ahmadinejad kissed the leader's hand during his authorization ceremony. Officials reported a turnout of about 59% of Iran's 47 million eligible voters, a decline from the 63% turnout reported in the first round of balloting a week before.
Schedule
The schedule of the election had been decided between the Ministry of Interior and the Guardian Council for June 17, 2005. The election will continue as a runoff race, which will take place a week later than the first round of elections, on June 24, 2005. The registration of candidates began on May 10, 2005 and continued for five days, until May 14. If the Guardian Council had requested, it may have been extended for five more days, until May 19. The candidates were not allowed to do advertisements, until the final list of approved candidates are known. The official period for advertisement was May 27 to June 15.In the first round, Iranian nationals born on or before June 17, 1990, residing in or outside Iran, were able to vote. The election in Iran began on 09:00 local time (04:30 UTC
Coordinated Universal Time
Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose...
) and while the original deadline was ten hours later on 19:00 (14:30 UTC), the deadline was extended three times by the Ministry of Interior, finally until 23:00 (18:30 UTC). Outside Iran, different times are used as the opening and closing hours for the polling offices. On the same date, mid-term Majlis elections for Gachsaran
Gachsaran
Dogonbadan is a city in and the capital of Gachsaran County, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 81,902, in 18,264 families.The people speak in the Southern Lurish and Qashqai Turkic....
, Garmsar
Garmsar
Garmsar is a city in and the capital of Garmsar County, Semnan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 38,891, in 10,951 families....
, Ghazvin, Ilam
Ilam, Iran
Ilam is a city in and the capital of Ilam Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 155,289, in 34,549 families.The Kabir Kuh mountain range lies east of the city. From the west it borders Iraq. The city is populated by Kurds and speak Kurdish.-Climate:Ilam is situated in the cold...
, Iranshahr
Iranshahr
Iranshahr is a city in and capital of Iranshahr County, Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 99,496, in 17,698 families. The city is predominantly inhabited by ethnic Baloch speaking the Balochi language....
, Jolfa
Jolfa
Jolfa is a city in and capital of Jolfa County, East Azerbaijan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 4,983, in 1,365 families....
, Marand
Marand
Marand is a city in and the capital of Marand County, East Azerbaijan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 114,165, in 29,755 families....
, Sarbaz
Sarbaz
Sarbaz is a city in and the capital of Sarbaz District, in Sarbaz County, Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 1,047, in 234 families. The overwhelming majority of the city's inhabitants are ethnic Baluch who speak the Baluchi language....
, and Shiraz
Shiraz, Iran
Shiraz is the sixth most populous city in Iran and is the capital of Fars Province, the city's 2009 population was 1,455,073. Shiraz is located in the southwest of Iran on the Roodkhaneye Khoshk seasonal river...
took place together with the runoff elections of Tehran for the Iranian Majlis election of 2004.
The first three suggestions by the Ministry, for May 13, May 20, and June 10, 2005, had been rejected by the Council. The Ministry had mentioned that it is concerned that an election later than May 20 may collide with the final exams of the elementary schools and high schools.
The second round of the election happened on June 24, and Iranian nationals born on or before June 24, 1990 were able to vote. The election in Iran began at 09:00 local time (04:30 UTC) and the closing time of the voting polls was at 19:00 (14:30 UTC), but was subject to extension by the Ministry of Interior.
Candidates
The registration of the candidates finished on May 14, 2005 and 1014 candidates had registered to run, including many people who didn't have the qualifications required in the law. More than 90% of the candidates were men, and there were about ninety female candidates. The law about the election process does not include any requirements for people who want to register to run: it only provides qualifications that are to be checked by the Guardian Council.The candidates must have first be approved by the Guardian Council
Guardian Council
The Guardian Council of the Constitution , also known as the Guardian Council or Council of Guardians, is an appointed and constitutionally-mandated 12-member council that wields considerable power and influence in the Islamic Republic of Iran....
before being put to public vote and it could be predicted that some of the candidates would not win the approval, especially Ebrahim Asgharzadeh
Ebrahim Asgharzadeh
Ebrahim Asgharzadeh is an Iranian political activist and politician. He served as a member of the 3rd Majlis from 1989–1993 and as a member of the first City Council of Tehran from 1999–2003...
and Ebrahim Yazdi
Ebrahim Yazdi
Ebrahim Yazdi is an Iranian politician and diplomat who served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs in the interim government of Mehdi Bazargan, until his resignation in November 1979, in protest to the Iran hostage crisis...
, who were rejected by the Council in the parliamentary elections of 2004
Iranian Majlis election, 2004
The Iranian parliamentary elections of February 20 and May 7, 2004 were a victory for Islamic conservatives over the reformist parties. Assisting the conservative victory was the disqualification of about 2500 reformist candidates earlier in January.-Background:...
and/or the presidential elections of 2001
Iranian presidential election, 2001
Iranian presidential election of 2001 took place on June 8, 2001, and resulted in Mohammad Khatami being elected as the President of Iran for his second term.-Candidates:* Mohammad Khatami, Incumbent President...
. There were also some people who expected Mostafa Moeen
Mostafa Moeen
Mostafa Moeen, M.D. , is an Iranian politician and professor of Pediatrics, and an advisor to the former President Mohammad Khatami. He was a presidential candidate for the 2005 Iranian presidential election...
, the most controversial reformist candidate, to be disqualified as well. But the most unpredictable was the disqualification of conservative Reza Zavare'i, a former member of the Guardian Council and an approved presidential candidate for two previous elections.
Also, there was a high probability of rejection of women, because of an ambiguous term ("rejāl", رجال) in the Constitution of Iran, a requirement for presidential candidates, which may be interpreted as either "men" or "nobles". The Guardian Council, who is also the official interpreter of the constitution, has mentioned on previous elections that the restriction has not been considered in depth yet, since according to the Council's opinion there were no women registered to run for presidency who fulfilled the other requirements of the constitution; but still, the Council believes that the requirement of rejaal would not match women.
There had also been discussions for a new law proposed in the Majlis
Majlis of Iran
The National Consultative Assembly of Iran , also called The Iranian Parliament or People's House, is the national legislative body of Iran...
, restricting the maximum age of the candidates for the presidential elections. This was widely seen as an attempt to limit the participation of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani is an influential Iranian politician and writer, who was the fourth President of Iran. He was a member of the Assembly of Experts until his resignation in 2011...
and Mehdi Karroubi
Mehdi Karroubi
Mehdi Karroubi is an influential Iranian reformist politician, democracy activist, mojtahed, and chairman of the National Trust Party. He was Chairman of the parliament from 1989 to 1992 and 2000 to 2004, and a presidential candidate in the 2005 and 2009 presidential elections.He is a founding...
. The attempt failed with no proposal appearing.
Approved candidates
The list of all the people who have officially registered to run for the post is not available to the public, but the Guardian Council published a final list of six approved candidates on May 22, rejecting all independent candidates and some candidates from the both wings, specially the reformist candidates Mostafa MoeenMostafa Moeen
Mostafa Moeen, M.D. , is an Iranian politician and professor of Pediatrics, and an advisor to the former President Mohammad Khatami. He was a presidential candidate for the 2005 Iranian presidential election...
and Mohsen Mehralizadeh
Mohsen Mehralizadeh
Mohsen Mehralizadeh was a Vice President of Iran and the head of the National Sports Organization of Iran under President Khatami...
. This raised many objections among the general public and the political parties, including student protests in the Tehran University, among other universities. This, and the objections of some of the approved candidates, led to a letter from Ayatollah Khamenei
Ali Khamenei
Ayatollah Seyed Ali Hoseyni Khāmene’i is the Supreme Leader of Iran and the figurative head of the Muslim conservative establishment in Iran and Twelver Shi'a marja...
, the Supreme Leader
Supreme Leader of Iran
The Supreme Leader of Iran is the highest ranking political and religious authority in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The post was established by the constitution in accordance with the concept of Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists...
, to the Guardian Council asking for the approval of Moeen and Mehralizadeh (this had apparently been because of a request by Haddad-Adel
Gholam Ali Haddad-Adel
Gholam Ali Haddad-Adel born in 1945 in Tehran, Iran, is an Iranian philosopher, politician and former chairman of the Iranian parliament...
, the conservative Speaker of the Parliament
Majlis of Iran
The National Consultative Assembly of Iran , also called The Iranian Parliament or People's House, is the national legislative body of Iran...
) http://isna.ir/Main/NewsView.aspx?ID=News-531549. It is unknown if that letter meant that the Guardian Council must have approved these two, or it should have only reconsidered their case. The next day, on May 23, the Guardian Council announced the approval of Moeen and Mehralizadeh.
Mohsen Rezaee
Mohsen Rezaee
Mohsen Rezaee Mirgha'ed, also spelled Rezai and Rezaie , born Sabzevar Rezaee Mirgha'ed , is an Iranian politician, economist and former military commander, currently the Secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran...
, one of the approved conservative candidates, who is the Secretary of Expediency Discernment Council
Expediency Discernment Council
The Expediency Discernment Council of the System is an administrative assembly appointed by the Supreme Leader and was created upon the revision to the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran on 6 February 1988...
and a previous commander of the Iran-Iraq war
Iran-Iraq War
The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between the armed forces of Iraq and Iran, lasting from September 1980 to August 1988, making it the longest conventional war of the twentieth century...
, withdrew in the evening of June 15.
These are the candidates approved by the Council of Guardians:
Trans-party
- Akbar Hashemi RafsanjaniAkbar Hashemi RafsanjaniAyatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani is an influential Iranian politician and writer, who was the fourth President of Iran. He was a member of the Assembly of Experts until his resignation in 2011...
, Chairman of the Expediency Discernment CouncilExpediency Discernment CouncilThe Expediency Discernment Council of the System is an administrative assembly appointed by the Supreme Leader and was created upon the revision to the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran on 6 February 1988...
and a former President of Iran, who has won the support of several parties from both of the wings (and may still win more support), but is considered to be leaned towards the conservatives more than towards the reformists. Ironically, the reformist alliance considered him as a possible candidate of theirs more than the conservative alliance. He was invited to run for president by Executives of Construction PartyExecutives of Construction PartyThe Executives of Construction Party is a political party in Iran, founded by several members of the cabinet of the then President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani...
(reformist), Combatant Clergy Association (conservative), Islamic Labour PartyIslamic Labour PartyIslamic Labor Party to create. Target home workers to fill the vacuum caused by the dissolution of unions and restricted movement within the labor system was acceptable....
(conservative), and Workers' House (reformist), as well as several other parties across the whole spectrum of positions. Rafsanjani confirmed he is running for the election on May 10, after lots of speculations http://www.isna.ir/Main/NewsView.aspx?ID=News-525450.
Reformists
- Mehdi KarroubiMehdi KarroubiMehdi Karroubi is an influential Iranian reformist politician, democracy activist, mojtahed, and chairman of the National Trust Party. He was Chairman of the parliament from 1989 to 1992 and 2000 to 2004, and a presidential candidate in the 2005 and 2009 presidential elections.He is a founding...
, former Majlis Speaker, Secretary General of Association of Combatant Clerics (MCS), supported by MCS, Islamic Association of Engineers, Majma'-e Gorooh-haa-ye Khat-te Emam, and Democracy Party of Iran. - Mohsen MehralizadehMohsen MehralizadehMohsen Mehralizadeh was a Vice President of Iran and the head of the National Sports Organization of Iran under President Khatami...
, Vice-President and Head of National Sports Organization, member of IIPF. Mehralizadeh has first announced that he will be running for the post on behalf of the Iranian younger generation, but not if the reformist alliance reaches consensus on another candidate, but during the registration mentioned that he will remain in the race until the end. - Mostafa MoeenMostafa MoeenMostafa Moeen, M.D. , is an Iranian politician and professor of Pediatrics, and an advisor to the former President Mohammad Khatami. He was a presidential candidate for the 2005 Iranian presidential election...
, former Minister of Science, Research and Technology, supported by Islamic Iran Participation FrontIslamic Iran Participation FrontThe Islamic Iran Participation Front is a reformist political party in Iran...
(IIPF) and Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution OrganizationMojahedin of the Islamic Revolution OrganizationMojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization , sometimes abbreviated to MIRO, is a reformist Iranian political organization. It is a small yet influential organization, and participates in political activities similar to a political party...
(MIRO). Confirmed to run on December 29, 2004. IIPF, an influential reformist party in Iran, has mentioned that they won't support any presidential candidate outside the party, except Mousavi and Moeen. Since Mousavi has declined to run, they supported Moeen, whom they claimed to be the most probable candidate to win the approval of other parties in the reformist alliance. Some conservative Majlis representatives had asked for the Guardian Council's rejection of Moeen, which happened finally but was reversed after a letter by Ayatollah Khamenei. Moeen had announced that he would choose Mohammad Reza KhatamiMohammad Reza KhatamiSeyyed Mohammad Reza Khatami is an Iranian politician and nephrologist.He was the first Secretary-General of the Islamic Iran Participation Front, the largest Iranian reformist party. He is now a member of the central council of the party...
as his First Vice President if he was elected, and had already chosen Elaheh Koulaee, a female representative of the sixth Islamic Assembly, as his spokeswoman.
Conservatives
- Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Mayor of TehranTehranTehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
, member of Islamic Society of EngineersIslamic Society of EngineersThe Islamic Society of Engineers or ISE, is a political organization in Iran, a member of the conservative Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran....
(ISE), supported by some parts of Alliance of Builders of Islamic IranAlliance of Builders of Islamic IranThe Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran , usually shortened to Abadgaran , is an alliance of some right-wing Iranian political parties and organizations. The alliance, mostly active in Tehran, won almost all of Tehran's seats in the Iranian Majlis election of 2004 and the Iranian City and Village...
(ABII). Although Ahmadinejad said he would not seek nomination on February 2, 2005, he returned to the scene later. - Mohammad Bagher GhalibafMohammad Bagher GhalibafMohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf is the current Mayor of Tehran, Iran.-Early life and military career:Ghalibaf was born to a Khorasani Kurdish father and a Persian mother. At the age of nineteen, he was one of the commanders of the defense forces during the Iran–Iraq War...
, former Commander of Police (niroo-ye entezaami). Contrary to the public announcement of Ayatollah KhameneiAli KhameneiAyatollah Seyed Ali Hoseyni Khāmene’i is the Supreme Leader of Iran and the figurative head of the Muslim conservative establishment in Iran and Twelver Shi'a marja...
, the Supreme Leader of IranSupreme Leader of IranThe Supreme Leader of Iran is the highest ranking political and religious authority in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The post was established by the constitution in accordance with the concept of Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists...
, that nobody knows who he will personally vote for, Ghalibaf had claimed privately that he is the person Khamenei will vote for. - Ali LarijaniAli LarijaniAli Ardashir Larijani is an Iranian philosopher, politician and the chairman of the Iranian parliament. Larijani was the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council from August 15, 2005 to October 20, 2007, appointed to the position by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,replacing Hassan Rowhani...
, Supreme Leader's representative in National Security Council and a former director of IRIB, who was supposed to be the major conservative candidate, as chosen by the "Council for Coordinating the Revolution Forces" (showrā-ye hamāhangi-e nirūhā-ye enǧelāb), a council of some older and very influential leaders of the conservative alliance.
Rejected candidates
- ReformistsIranian reformistsThe Iranian reform movement , or the Reforms Front also known as 2nd of Khordad Front is a political movement by a group of political parties and organizations in Iran who supported Mohammad Khatami's plans to change the system to include more freedom and...
- Akbar A'lamiAkbar A'lamiAkbar Aâlami was born in Tabriz, East Azerbaijan, Iran. He is an Iranian politician, a former member of the Iranian parliament. He was nominated for Iranian presidential election, 2009. Akbar Alami has been a member of the 6th and 7th parliaments...
, Majlis representative of TabrizTabrizTabriz is the fourth largest city and one of the historical capitals of Iran and the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. Situated at an altitude of 1,350 meters at the junction of the Quri River and Aji River, it was the second largest city in Iran until the late 1960s, one of its former...
. - Ebrahim AsgharzadehEbrahim AsgharzadehEbrahim Asgharzadeh is an Iranian political activist and politician. He served as a member of the 3rd Majlis from 1989–1993 and as a member of the first City Council of Tehran from 1999–2003...
, former member of TehranTehranTehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
city council, Secretary General of Islamic Iran Solidarity Party (Hezb-e Hambastegi-e Irān-e Eslāmi), and one of the hostage-takers in Iran hostage crisisIran hostage crisisThe Iran hostage crisis was a diplomatic crisis between Iran and the United States where 52 Americans were held hostage for 444 days from November 4, 1979 to January 20, 1981, after a group of Islamist students and militants took over the American Embassy in Tehran in support of the Iranian...
. It should be noted that Asgharzadeh was even not supported by his own party (Islamic Iran Solidarity Party). Asgharzadeh was rejected by the Guardian Council to run as a candidate in the 2001 presidential electionsIranian presidential election, 2001Iranian presidential election of 2001 took place on June 8, 2001, and resulted in Mohammad Khatami being elected as the President of Iran for his second term.-Candidates:* Mohammad Khatami, Incumbent President...
, which had made him unlikely to be approved this time. - Mostafa KavakebianMostafa KavakebianMostafa Kavakebian is an Iranian reformist politician and representative of Semnan and Mehdishahr at Parliament of Iran. He is a Ph.D. and professor of political science Allameh Tabatabai University....
, secretary-general of Democracy Party (hezb-e mardomsālāri). Kavakebian supported Karroubi after he himself was rejected.
- Akbar A'lami
- ConservativesConservatismConservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
- Zabihollah Bakhshi, commonly known as Haji Bakhshi, militia leader
- Rafat BayatRafat BayatRafat Bayat is an Iranian politician and former parliament member. She was denied candidacy for both the 9th Iranian presidential election and the 10th Iranian presidential election by the Guardian Council....
, Majlis representative from ZanjanZanjan ProvinceZanjan Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. Located in the North West of Iran, its capital is Zanjan city. Zanjan province with an area of 36,400 km² has a mostly rural, population of 964,601 . The province lies 330 km northwest of Tehran, connected to it via a freeway.Zanjan...
, a member of conservative caucus in parliament. On March 30, she stated that she would run independently, not supported by any significant party in the conservative alliance http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/iran/story/2005/03/050329_mf_bayat.shtml. It was assumed by some people that she would probably get rejected by the Guardian Council, because of the rejāl requirement (see above). - Reza Zavare'i, former member of Guardian Council, invited to run by Chekaad-e Daaneshjooyaan-e Mosalmaan
- Independents
- Nasser HejaziNasser HejaziNasser Hejazi nicknamed "Ostureh" ; was an Iranian football player and coach who most notably played for Esteghlal Tehran....
, former goalkeeper of the national football team and former coach of the EsteghlalEsteghlalEsteghlal is an Arabic word means independence. the name held by many Iranian football clubs and Armenian football clubs. This includes:*Esteghlal F.C.— Iranian football club*Esteghlal Ahvaz F.C...
football club. After his rejection, Hejazi supported Hashemi Rafsanjani as president. - Mohammad Hossein Pahlevan, known as Arshia, pop singer
- Azam TaleghaniAzam TaleghaniAzam Taleghani is an Iranian politician and journalist, born in 1944, is the head of the Society of Islamic Revolution Women of Iran, editor of Payam Hajar Weekly, and a former member of the Iranian parliament....
, daughter of Ayatollah Mahmoud TaleghaniMahmoud TaleghaniAyatollah Mahmoud Taleghani was an Iranian theologian, humanist, Muslim reformer, democracy advocate and a senior Shi'a cleric of Iran. Taleghani was a contemporary of the Iranian Revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and a leader in his own right of Iran's Shi'a resistance movement...
. - Ebrahim YazdiEbrahim YazdiEbrahim Yazdi is an Iranian politician and diplomat who served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs in the interim government of Mehdi Bazargan, until his resignation in November 1979, in protest to the Iran hostage crisis...
, former Minister of Foreign affairs in the Interim Government of 1979, secretary general of Freedom Movement Party. After being rejected by the Guardian Council, Yazdi is supporting Moeen for the presidency.
- Nasser Hejazi
- Unknown affiliation
- Ayatollah Mohammad Sajjadi (http://sharghnewspaper.com/840227/html/vs2.htm#s227919)
Declinations and withdrawals
The most important withdrawal was that of Mohsen RezaeeMohsen Rezaee
Mohsen Rezaee Mirgha'ed, also spelled Rezai and Rezaie , born Sabzevar Rezaee Mirgha'ed , is an Iranian politician, economist and former military commander, currently the Secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran...
, one of the candidates who was approved by the Guardian Council and participated in the race until the evening of June 15, 2005, two days before the election and only a few hours before the final deadline allowed for advertisements. Rezaee mentioned he was withdrawing from the race for "the integraton of the votes of the nation" and "their effectiveness". He did not endorse any candidate. http://isna.ir/Main/NewsView.aspx?ID=News-541885
Also, several people were considered possible candidates for the post, who later declined to run early in the race or at the final moments before registration. A list of the ones considered seriously in the media includes:
- ReformistsIranian reformistsThe Iranian reform movement , or the Reforms Front also known as 2nd of Khordad Front is a political movement by a group of political parties and organizations in Iran who supported Mohammad Khatami's plans to change the system to include more freedom and...
- Safdar HosseiniSafdar HosseiniSafdar Hosseini is an Iranian politician. He was the Minister of Economy and Finance Affairs of Iran in cabinet of the President Mohammad Khatami, replaced by Davoud Danesh-Jafari on August 24, 2005 in the cabinet of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Before that, he was the Minister of Labour and...
, Minister of Economy and Finance Affair, member of IIPF - Hadi KhameneiHadi KhameneiHojatoleslam Hadi Khamenei is an influential Iranian reformist politician, mojtahed and linguist. He is a key member of the reformist Association of Combatant Clerics, and a former deputy of the Majlis of Iran representing a district in Tehran....
, member of Society of Forces Following the Line of the Imam, declined on December 6, 2004 - Mohammad Reza KhatamiMohammad Reza KhatamiSeyyed Mohammad Reza Khatami is an Iranian politician and nephrologist.He was the first Secretary-General of the Islamic Iran Participation Front, the largest Iranian reformist party. He is now a member of the central council of the party...
, former Majlis Vice Speaker, Secretary General of IIPF - Hassan KhomeiniHassan KhomeiniSeyyed Hassan Khomeini is a "mid-ranking" Iranian cleric. He is the grandson of the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini, and son of the late Hojat-Ol Eslam Ahmad Khomeini...
, grandson of Ruhollah KhomeiniRuhollah KhomeiniGrand Ayatollah Sayyed Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini was an Iranian religious leader and politician, and leader of the 1979 Iranian Revolution which saw the overthrow of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran... - Mir-Hossein MousaviMir-Hossein MousaviMir-Hossein Mousavi Khameneh is an Iranian reformist politician, artist and architect who served as the seventy-ninth and last Prime Minister of Iran from 1981 to 1989. He was a Reformist candidate for the 2009 presidential election and eventually the leader of the opposition in the post-election...
, former Prime Minister, declined on October 12, 2004 - Mohammad Mousavi-Khoiniha, member of MCS, declined on November 21, 2004
- Behzad NabaviBehzad NabaviBehzad Nabavi is an Iranian politician. He served as Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Iran and was one of the founders of the reformist party Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization...
, former Majlis Vice Speaker, member of MIRO - Mohammad Ali NajafiMohammad Ali NajafiMohammad Ali Najafi is an Iranian politician and university professor in mathematics. He was Minister of Science and Technology in the Cabinet of Mir-Hossein Mousavi and after that Minister of Education...
, former Minister of Education - Abdollah RamezanzadehAbdollah RamezanzadehDr. Abdollah Ramezanzadeh , also spelled Ramazanzadeh, is an Iranian academic, writer and politician.He is the former spokesman and secretary of the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran during the presidency of Muhammad Khatami.Ramezanzadeh is an assistant professor in faculty of Law and...
, Spokesman of Government, member of IIPF
- Safdar Hosseini
- ConservativesConservatismConservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
- Gholam Ali Haddad-AdelGholam Ali Haddad-AdelGholam Ali Haddad-Adel born in 1945 in Tehran, Iran, is an Iranian philosopher, politician and former chairman of the Iranian parliament...
, Speaker of MajlisMajlis of IranThe National Consultative Assembly of Iran , also called The Iranian Parliament or People's House, is the national legislative body of Iran...
, he declined his activities for election and said that he will try to re-ally conservatives for election. - Abdollah JasbiAbdollah JasbiAbdollah J. Jassbi is an Iranian academic, pragmatic politician and president of Azad University, a mega university with 1.3 million enrollments....
, President of Islamic Azad UniversityIslamic Azad UniversityIslamic Azad University is a private chain of universities in Iran.Headquartered in Tehran, Iran, the Islamic Azad University was founded in 1982 and currently has an enrollment of 1.5 million students, making it the world's third largest...
. Jasbi withdrew in favor of Hashemi Rafsanjani. - Mohammad Javad LarijaniMohammad Javad LarijaniMohammad Javad Ardashir Larijani is an Iranian politician, cleric and academic. Larijani is the head of the human rights council in the judiciary and a top adviser to the supreme leader. Additionally Larijani has been the Director of Institute for Studies in Theoretical Physics and Mathematics in...
, Director of IPMInstitute for Studies in Theoretical Physics and MathematicsThe Institute for research in fundamental sciences is a government-sponsored advanced research institute founded in 1989 in Tehran, Iran. The institute was the first Iranian organization to connect to the Internet...
. He strongly endorses his brother Ali Larijani for presidency. - Hossein Mirmohammad-Sadeghi, former speaker of Judiciary Branch
- Ahmad TavakkoliAhmad TavakkoliAhmad Tavakkoli is a conservative representative of Tehran in the Iranian parliament, and the Director of Majlis Research Center.Before, he had been the Iranian Minister of Labour under Mir-Hossein Mousavi, a parliament representative from Behshahr, and a presidential candidate in two of the...
, Majlis representative and Director of Majlis Research Center and former presidential candidate. Tavakkoli resigned from the race on May 1, 2005, telling that he is doing this to help minimize the diversity in the conservative camp. He is supporting Ghalibaf in the elections. - Ali Akbar VelayatiAli Akbar VelayatiAli Akbar Velayati is an Iranian politician, academic and diplomat. He was the Foreign Minister of Iran from 1981 to 1997...
, an Adviser to the Supreme LeaderSupreme Leader of IranThe Supreme Leader of Iran is the highest ranking political and religious authority in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The post was established by the constitution in accordance with the concept of Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists...
for foreign affairs, and a former Minister of Foreign AffairsMinister of Foreign Affairs (Iran)The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is an Iranian government ministry. The Minister for Foreign Affairs is the Cabinet member in charge....
. Velayati was supported inside the conservative alliance by Islamic Coalition PartyIslamic Coalition PartyThe Islamic Coalition Party is a conservative Islamist political party in Iran...
(ICP). Valayati had confirmed that he does not accept the support of the Council for Coordination and will run independently, unless Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who was the President of Iran during Velayati's ministership, runs. On May 14, Velayati did not register to run until the official deadline, and then announced that he is supporting Rafsanjani in the elections.
- Gholam Ali Haddad-Adel
- Independents
- Shirin EbadiShirin EbadiShirin Ebadi is an Iranian lawyer, a former judge and human rights activist and founder of Defenders of Human Rights Center in Iran. On 10 October 2003, Ebadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her significant and pioneering efforts for democracy and human rights, especially women's,...
, winner of Nobel Peace PrizeNobel Peace PrizeThe Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
in 2003, declined on January 2, 2005, despite support among some independent groups and parties, which are usually called pro-Human rightsHuman rightsHuman rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
- Shirin Ebadi
Campaign
The best financed candidate, Rafsanjani, campaigned with an entourage of bullet-proof Mercedes limousines. While he usually did not emphasize issues in his campaign Rafsanjani did tell voters that `there is no use imposing tastes, being strict, and going backward, ... Whoever becomes president cannot work without considering the demands and conditions of society.` He also indicated a liberalizing in his views on proper Islamic dress. Where in 2002 he had said that exposing a single strand of a woman's hair from behind hejab was `a dagger drawn toward the heart of Islam,` in 2005 he described his red line as `no nudity,` in a campaign meeting with Iranian youth.Ahmadinejad used mosque networks and his personal ties to the Revolutionary Guards and Basij
Basij
The Basij is a paramilitary volunteer militia established in 1979 by order of the Islamic Revolution's leader Ayatollah Khomeini. The force consists of young Iranians who have volunteered, often in exchange for official benefits...
for his campaign. In TV advertisements he was shown praying and praising veterans of the Iran-Iraq War
Iran-Iraq War
The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between the armed forces of Iraq and Iran, lasting from September 1980 to August 1988, making it the longest conventional war of the twentieth century...
for their sacrifices. He campaigned in an old (1977) Peugeot car.
Polling
While pre-voting polls mostly favored a run-off between Rafsanjani and Mostafa Moeen, the actual vote counts from the Ministry of Interior unexpectedly put Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Mehdi KarroubiMehdi Karroubi
Mehdi Karroubi is an influential Iranian reformist politician, democracy activist, mojtahed, and chairman of the National Trust Party. He was Chairman of the parliament from 1989 to 1992 and 2000 to 2004, and a presidential candidate in the 2005 and 2009 presidential elections.He is a founding...
in second and third places. Rafsanjani and Ahmadinejad led with respectively 21.0% and 19.5% of the votes, and were followed by Karroubi (17.3%), Moeen (13.93%) , Ghalibaf
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf
Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf is the current Mayor of Tehran, Iran.-Early life and military career:Ghalibaf was born to a Khorasani Kurdish father and a Persian mother. At the age of nineteen, he was one of the commanders of the defense forces during the Iran–Iraq War...
(13.89%), Larijani
Ali Larijani
Ali Ardashir Larijani is an Iranian philosopher, politician and the chairman of the Iranian parliament. Larijani was the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council from August 15, 2005 to October 20, 2007, appointed to the position by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,replacing Hassan Rowhani...
(5.9%), and Mehralizadeh
Mohsen Mehralizadeh
Mohsen Mehralizadeh was a Vice President of Iran and the head of the National Sports Organization of Iran under President Khatami...
(4.4%) http://www.isna.ir/Main/NewsView.aspx?ID=News-543096. Domestically, there were 29,317,039 votes, which amounts to a turnout of 62.66%, as there were 46,786,418 eligible voters.
Results
The first round of the election was a very close race with minor differences in the number of votes won by each candidate which led to a run-off a week later with Ahmadinejad and ex-president Akbar Hashemi RafsanjaniAkbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani is an influential Iranian politician and writer, who was the fourth President of Iran. He was a member of the Assembly of Experts until his resignation in 2011...
participating. There were seven people running for the post out of more than a thousand initial candidates, most of whom were disqualified by the Guardian Council
Guardian Council
The Guardian Council of the Constitution , also known as the Guardian Council or Council of Guardians, is an appointed and constitutionally-mandated 12-member council that wields considerable power and influence in the Islamic Republic of Iran....
, which is responsible for vetting by constitution for election. Rafsanjani, who had been regarded as the front-runner and had positioned himself as a centrist, was defeated by Ahmadinejad in the run-off, while reformist candidate Mostafa Moeen
Mostafa Moeen
Mostafa Moeen, M.D. , is an Iranian politician and professor of Pediatrics, and an advisor to the former President Mohammad Khatami. He was a presidential candidate for the 2005 Iranian presidential election...
fared poorly and finished only fifth in the first round.
This was the first presidential runoff in the history of Iran. Before the run-off took place, it was compared to the 2002 French presidential election, where the splintering of the left-wing vote similarly led to a run-off between the moderate Jacques Chirac
Jacques Chirac
Jacques René Chirac is a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He previously served as Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988 , and as Mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995.After completing his studies of the DEA's degree at the...
and the far-right Jean-Marie Le Pen
Jean-Marie Le Pen
Jean-Marie Le Pen is a French far right-wing and nationalist politician who is founder and former president of the Front National party. Le Pen has run for the French presidency five times, most notably in 2002, when in a surprise upset he came second, polling more votes in the first round than...
. The comparison was made because of the unexpected votes in favor of Ahmadinejad, the very close race, and the comparability of the political standings of Rafsanjani and Ahmadinejad to those of Chirac and Le Pen. But after the results for the run-off were made public, the comparison was considered void due to the loss of the moderate candidate Rafsanjani, although Ahmadinejad's opponents formed an alliance against him.
There was a total of 27,959,253 votes in the second round, slightly lower than the first round. Considering that the number of eligible votes was raised by about 150,000 people, the turnout was about 59.6%.
The tabulated results follow:
First Round
The results of the first round, per ProvinceProvinces of Iran
Iran is subdivided into thirty one provinces , each governed from a local center, usually the largest local city, which is called the capital of that province...
:
| Province | Ahmadinejad | Karroubi Mehdi Karroubi Mehdi Karroubi is an influential Iranian reformist politician, democracy activist, mojtahed, and chairman of the National Trust Party. He was Chairman of the parliament from 1989 to 1992 and 2000 to 2004, and a presidential candidate in the 2005 and 2009 presidential elections.He is a founding... |
Larijani Ali Larijani Ali Ardashir Larijani is an Iranian philosopher, politician and the chairman of the Iranian parliament. Larijani was the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council from August 15, 2005 to October 20, 2007, appointed to the position by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,replacing Hassan Rowhani... |
Mehralizadeh Mohsen Mehralizadeh Mohsen Mehralizadeh was a Vice President of Iran and the head of the National Sports Organization of Iran under President Khatami... |
Moeen Mostafa Moeen Mostafa Moeen, M.D. , is an Iranian politician and professor of Pediatrics, and an advisor to the former President Mohammad Khatami. He was a presidential candidate for the 2005 Iranian presidential election... |
Qalibaf Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf is the current Mayor of Tehran, Iran.-Early life and military career:Ghalibaf was born to a Khorasani Kurdish father and a Persian mother. At the age of nineteen, he was one of the commanders of the defense forces during the Iran–Iraq War... |
Rafsanjani Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani is an influential Iranian politician and writer, who was the fourth President of Iran. He was a member of the Assembly of Experts until his resignation in 2011... |
Total votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ardabil Ardabil Province Ardabil Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It is in the north west of the country, bordering the Republic of Azerbaijan and the provinces of East Azerbaijan, Zanjan, and Gilan. Its centre is the city of Ardabil... |
34,090 | 53,906 | 7,766 | 111,465 | 67,134 | 106,272 | 95,490 | 476,123 |
| Azarbaijan, East East Azarbaijan Province East Azerbaijan Province or East Azarbaijan Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It is in the northwest of the country, bordering Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan, and the provinces of Ardabil, West Azerbaijan, and Zanjan... |
198,417 | 21,609 | 28,075 | 378,604 | 190,211 | 122,160 | 268,954 | 1,308,390 |
| Azarbaijan, West West Azarbaijan Province West Azerbaijan Province or West Azarbaijan Province , is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It is located in the North West of the country, bordering Turkey, Iraq and Nakhchivan, and the provinces of East Azerbaijan, Zanjan and Kurdistan.... |
75,319 | 99,766 | 15,435 | 163,091 | 146,941 | 141,289 | 151,525 | 793,336 |
| Bushehr Bushehr Province Bushehr Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It is in the south of the country, with a long coastline onto the Persian Gulf. Its center is Bandar-e-Bushehr, the provincial capital. The province has nine counties: Bushehr, Dashtestan, Dashti, Dayyer, Deylam, Jam, Kangan, Ganaveh and Tangestan... |
82,376 | 98,148 | 8,207 | 4,942 | 68,547 | 46,962 | 97,412 | 406,594 |
| Chahar Mahaal and Bakhtiar | 90,960 | 75,044 | 23,127 | 5,051 | 48,356 | 64,068 | 59,521 | 366,128 |
| Fars | 242,535 | 546,633 | 61,383 | 22,440 | 217,122 | 273,542 | 403,074 | 1,766,729 |
| Gilan Gilan Province Gilan Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It lies along the Caspian Sea, just west of the province of Mazandaran, east of the province of Ardabil, north of the provinces of Zanjan and Qazvin.... |
149,026 | 203,941 | 50,070 | 33,996 | 182,321 | 171,562 | 215,478 | 1,006,394 |
| Golestan Golestan Province Golestan Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran, located in the north-east of the country, south of the Caspian Sea. Its capital is Gorgan.... |
56,776 | 193,570 | 42,334 | 8,283 | 156,862 | 87,522 | 155,498 | 700,845 |
| Hamadan | 195,030 | 218,018 | 24,002 | 20,496 | 84,42 | 72,986 | 175,997 | 790,953 |
| Hormozgan Hormozgan Province Hormozgan Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It is in the south of the country, facing Oman. Its area is , and its provincial capital is Bandar Abbas... |
81,054 | 177,413 | 78,161 | 9,679 | 153,648 | 25,326 | 75,601 | 599,982 |
| Ilam Ilam Province Ilam Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It is in the south-west of the country, bordering Iraq. Its provincial center is the city of Ilam. Covering an area of 19,086 square kilometers, the cities of the province are Ilam, Mehran, Dehloran, Dareh Shahr, Sarable, Eyvan, Abdanan and Arkwaz... |
32,383 | 108,627 | 6,783 | 3,026 | 56,526 | 41,082 | 40,580 | 289,007 |
| Isfahan | 801,635 | 196,512 | 73,452 | 30,325 | 196,261 | 198,409 | 260,858 | 1,757,452 |
| Kerman | 129,284 | 152,764 | 221,219 | 9,697 | 52,896 | 112,056 | 480,271 | 1,158,187 |
| Kermanshah Kermanshah Province Kermanshah Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. The province was known from 1969 to 1986 as Kermanshahan and from 1986 to 1995 as Bakhtaran.-Counties:... |
70,117 | 254,780 | 22,033 | 12,516 | 106,804 | 115,439 | 137,010 | 718,699 |
| Khorasan, North North Khorasan Province North Khorasan Province is a province located in northeastern Iran. Bojnord is the centre of the province.Other counties are Shirvan, Esfarayen, Maneh-o-Samalqan, Jajarm, Faroj and Germeh.... |
22,954 | 89,551 | 16,900 | 8,209 | 37,330 | 100,091 | 70,407 | 345,442 |
| Khorasan, Razavi Razavi Khorasan Province Razavi Khorasan Province is a province located in northeastern Iran. Mashhad is the centre and capital of the province.Other cities and townships are Ghouchan, Dargaz, Chenaran, Sarakhs, Fariman, Torbat-e Heydarieh, Torbat-e Jam, Taybad, Khaf, Roshtkhar, Kashmar, Bardaskan, Nishapur, Sabzevar,... |
377,732 | 297,967 | 78,976 | 33,488 | 325,281 | 877,665 | 527,707 | 2,518,816 |
| Khorasan, South South Khorasan Province South Khorasan Province is a province located in eastern Iran. Birjand is the centre of the province. The other major cities are Ferdows and Qaen.... |
101,638 | 27,705 | 5,716 | 4,958 | 39,276 | 49,043 | 57,244 | 285,580 |
| Khuzestan Khuzestan Province Khuzestan Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It is in the southwest of the country, bordering Iraq's Basra Province and the Persian Gulf. Its capital is Ahwaz and covers an area of 63,238 km²... |
232,874 | 538,735 | 58,564 | 20,164 | 148,529 | 148,234 | 319,921 | 1,467,021 |
| Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad | 34,396 | 96,459 | 20,306 | 1,572 | 50,954 | 52,259 | 56,154 | 312,100 |
| Kurdistan Kurdistan Province (Iran) Kurdistan Province or Kordestan Province or Kurdestan Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran, not to be confused with the greater geographical area of Iranian Kurdistan. The province of Kurdistan is 28,817 km² in area which encompasses just one-fourth of the Kurdish inhabited areas of Iran or... |
22,353 | 111,249 | 10,261 | 7,785 | 92,884 | 48,913 | 54,004 | 347,449 |
| Lorestan Lorestan Province Lorestan Province is a historic territory and province of western Iran, amidst the Zagros Mountains. The population of Lorestan was estimated at 1,716,527 people in 2006.Lorestan covers an area of 28,392 km²... |
69,710 | 440,247 | 31,169 | 6,865 | 53,747 | 70,225 | 121,130 | 793,093 |
| Markazi Markazi Province Markazi Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. The word markazi means central in Persian. Markazi lies in western Iran. Its capital is Arak. Its population is estimated at 1.35 million... |
161,669 | 104,522 | 17,258 | 14,058 | 65,592 | 71,828 | 143,118 | 578,045 |
| Mazandaran Mazandaran Province Mazandaran Province is a Caspian province in the north of Iran. Located on the southern coast of the Caspian Sea, it is bordered clockwise by the Golestan, Semnan, Tehran, Alborz, Qazvin, and Gilan provinces.... |
159,291 | 103,229 | 464,891 | 18,467 | 148,408 | 116,763 | 311,949 | 1,322,998 |
| Qazvin Qazvin Province The Qazvin Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It is in the north-west of the country, and its center is the city of Qazvin. The province was created in 1993 out of part of Tehran Province and includes 20 cities: Qazvin, Takestan, Abyek, Buin-Zahra, Eqhbalieh, Mohammadieh, Alvand,... |
118,414 | 81,569 | 24,649 | 18,078 | 68,366 | 77,399 | 108,928 | 497,403 |
| Qom Qom Province Qombol Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran with 11,237 km², covering 0.89% of the total area in Iran. It is in the north of the country, and its provincial capital is the city of Qom. It was formed from part of Tehran Province in 1995. In 2005, this province had a population of... |
256,110 | 25,282 | 10,894 | 14,451 | 27,824 | 25,792 | 104,004 | 464,357 |
| Semnan Semnan Province Semnan Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It is in the north of the country, and its center is Semnan. The province of Semnan covers an area of 96,816 square kilometers and stretches along the Alborz mountain range and borders to Dasht-e Kavir desert in its southern parts.Counties of... |
98,024 | 25,899 | 28,190 | 3,873 | 26,572 | 37,059 | 69,773 | 281,390 |
| Sistan and Baluchestan | 47,743 | 77,017 | 24,954 | 7,312 | 479,125 | 68,605 | 155,147 | 859,903 |
| Tehran Tehran Province Tehran Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It covers on area of 18,909 square kilometers and is located to the north of the central plateau of Iran.... |
1,500,829 | 415,187 | 246,167 | 281,748 | 648,598 | 614,381 | 1,274,276 | 4,981,186 |
| Yazd Yazd Province Yazd Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It is in the centre of the country, and its administrative center is the city of Yazd.The province has an area of 131,575 km², and according to the most recent divisions of the country, is divided into eleven counties: Maybod, Mehreez, Taft,... |
175,206 | 58,132 | 9,317 | 5,186 | 60,510 | 66,892 | 77,924 | 453,167 |
| Zanjan Zanjan Province Zanjan Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. Located in the North West of Iran, its capital is Zanjan city. Zanjan province with an area of 36,400 km² has a mostly rural, population of 964,601 . The province lies 330 km northwest of Tehran, connected to it via a freeway.Zanjan... |
93,309 | 62,845 | 22,869 | 18,568 | 68,649 | 71,365 | 110,698 | 448,303 |
| Source: Interior Ministry | ||||||||
Turnout
Islamic republic
Islamic republic is the name given to several states in the Muslim world including the Islamic Republics of Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, and Mauritania. Pakistan adopted the title under the constitution of 1956. Mauritania adopted it on 28 November 1958. Iran adopted it after the 1979 Iranian...
government of Iran, especially the Supreme Leader
Supreme Leader of Iran
The Supreme Leader of Iran is the highest ranking political and religious authority in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The post was established by the constitution in accordance with the concept of Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists...
and the higher offices, publicly considers the turnout
Voter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
of the voters, which was about 64% in the first round, to resemble the support of the population for the regime, while some voters consider voting for the candidates less aligned with the supreme leader as a vote against the current practices of the regime.
Also, some voters, including exiled citizens belonging to opposition political groups or monarchists (both living outside Iran), some parts of the intellectual community living in Iran, and even a few reformist
Iranian reformists
The Iranian reform movement , or the Reforms Front also known as 2nd of Khordad Front is a political movement by a group of political parties and organizations in Iran who supported Mohammad Khatami's plans to change the system to include more freedom and...
s, had boycotted the election
Election boycott
An election boycott is the boycotting of an election by a group of voters, each of whom abstains from voting.Boycotting may be used as a form of political protest where voters feel that electoral fraud is likely, or that the electoral system is biased against its candidates, or that the polity...
as a symbol of not supporting the current regime and its practices. The boycotters' reasons included the massive rejection of registered candidates, that they believed that the role of the Iranian president is insignificant in the power structure and overshadowed by those of the supreme leader who is practically elected for life, and that they believed that all the candidates had already helped the regime in the oppression of its political opposition or would do so if elected. The most famous boycott leader was Akbar Ganji
Akbar Ganji
Akbar Ganji is an Iranian journalist and writer. He has been described as "Iran’s preeminent political dissident", and a "wildly popular pro-democracy journalist" who has crossed press censorship "red lines" regularly...
, imprisoned in Evin prison
Evin Prison
Evin House of Detention is a prison in Iran, located in Evin, northwestern Tehran. It is noted for its political prisoners' wing, where prisoners have been held both before and after the 1979 Iranian Revolution...
for his journalism and in a hunger strike
Hunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance or pressure in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke feelings of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most hunger strikers will take liquids but not...
.
While some members of the intellectual community in Iran supported the boycott, some key figures, residing inside Iran or exiled to Europe or North America, had asked their readers and the general population to vote in the election, reasoning that not voting in the election would result in the election of one of the three conservative candidates, who were all military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
people with a background in Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps
Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps
The Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution , often called Revolutionary Guards, is a branch of Iran's military, founded after the Iranian revolution...
. The most famous supporters of voting in the intellectual community included Ebrahim Nabavi
Ebrahim Nabavi
Seyyed Ebrahim Nabavi is a prolific Iranian satirist, writer, diarist, and researcher. , he is the most widely known and active Iranian satirist, currently living in Belgium...
, Masoud Behnoud, and Khashayar Deyhimi. These people were mostly supporting Moeen
Mostafa Moeen
Mostafa Moeen, M.D. , is an Iranian politician and professor of Pediatrics, and an advisor to the former President Mohammad Khatami. He was a presidential candidate for the 2005 Iranian presidential election...
as their preferred candidate who is considered to be the least aligned with Ayatollah Khamenei, but a few have also talked or written in support of Rafsanjani
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani is an influential Iranian politician and writer, who was the fourth President of Iran. He was a member of the Assembly of Experts until his resignation in 2011...
or Karroubi
Mehdi Karroubi
Mehdi Karroubi is an influential Iranian reformist politician, democracy activist, mojtahed, and chairman of the National Trust Party. He was Chairman of the parliament from 1989 to 1992 and 2000 to 2004, and a presidential candidate in the 2005 and 2009 presidential elections.He is a founding...
.
After the results of the first round, many of the supporters of the boycott are now supporting Hashemi Rafsanjani, and many of the supporters of the reformist candidates, including many supporters of Moeen, are doing the same. Islamic Iran Participation Front
Islamic Iran Participation Front
The Islamic Iran Participation Front is a reformist political party in Iran...
(IIPF) and Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization
Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization
Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization , sometimes abbreviated to MIRO, is a reformist Iranian political organization. It is a small yet influential organization, and participates in political activities similar to a political party...
(MIRO), as the two main parties who supported Moeen, are included, with IIPF asking for "uniting against the rise of religious fascism
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
" and MIRO telling about the rival "Führer
Führer
Führer , alternatively spelled Fuehrer in both English and German when the umlaut is not available, is a German title meaning leader or guide now most associated with Adolf Hitler, who modelled it on Benito Mussolini's title il Duce, as well as with Georg von Schönerer, whose followers also...
-istic mindset". Moeen himself has mentioned that he will not personally vote in the second round, but that his supporters "should take the danger of fascism seriously" and should not think about a boycott in the second round.
Also, Emadeddin Baghi
Emadeddin Baghi
Emadeddin Baghi is a prominent Iranian human rights activist, prisoners' rights advocate, investigative journalist, philosopher and writer. He is the founder and head of the Committee for the Defense of Prisoners' Rights and the Society of Right to Life Guardians in Iran, and the author of twenty...
, the President of the Iranian Association for Supporting Prisoners' Rights and one of the boycotters, has also spoken in support of Rafsanjani and mentioned that while he still considers Rafsanjani a conservative, he prefers his traditional conservatism to Ahmadinezhad's fundamentalism.
Comparative to other elections, there does not seem to be any major drop in number of votes caused by boycott. The turnout in the previous election, i.e. Khatami's second term, was at 67%.
Election controversies
After the first round of the election, some people, including Mehdi KarroubiMehdi Karroubi
Mehdi Karroubi is an influential Iranian reformist politician, democracy activist, mojtahed, and chairman of the National Trust Party. He was Chairman of the parliament from 1989 to 1992 and 2000 to 2004, and a presidential candidate in the 2005 and 2009 presidential elections.He is a founding...
, the pragmatic reformist candidate who ranked third in the first round but was the first when partial results were first published, have alleged that a network of mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
s, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps
Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps
The Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution , often called Revolutionary Guards, is a branch of Iran's military, founded after the Iranian revolution...
military forces, and Basij militia forces have been illegally used to generate and mobilize support for Ahmadinejad. Karroubi has explicitly alleged that Mojtaba Khamenei
Mojtaba Khamenei
Mojtaba Khamenei is an Iranian hard-line cleric and the second son of Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran. Mojtaba has reportedly taken control over the Basij militia being used to suppress the protests over the 2009 election and is also reported to be "being groomed" to succeed his father as...
, a son of the Supreme Leader
Supreme Leader of Iran
The Supreme Leader of Iran is the highest ranking political and religious authority in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The post was established by the constitution in accordance with the concept of Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists...
Ayatollah Khamenei, was involved. Ayatollah Khamenei then wrote to Karroubi and mentioned that these allegations are below his dignity and will result in a crisis in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, which he will not allow. As a reply, Karroubi resigned from all his political posts, including an Advisor to the Supreme Leader and a member of Expediency Discernment Council
Expediency Discernment Council
The Expediency Discernment Council of the System is an administrative assembly appointed by the Supreme Leader and was created upon the revision to the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran on 6 February 1988...
, on both of which he had been installed by Khamenei. The day after, on June 20, a few reformist morning newspapers, Eghbal, Hayat-e No, Aftab-e Yazd, and Etemaad
Etemaad
Etemaad is the biggest-circulation reformist newspaper in Iran that publishes in Tehran. It is managed by Elias Hazrati, who was representative from Rasht and Tehran in the Parliament of Iran. Etemaad translates to "trust" in Persian....
were stopped from distribution by the general prosecutor of Tehran, Saeed Mortazavi
Saeed Mortazavi
Saeed Murtazavi is a controversial Iranian jurist and former prosecutor of the Islamic Revolutionary Court, and Prosecutor General of Tehran, a position he has held from 2003 to 2009. He has been called as "butcher of the press" and "torturer of Tehran" by some observers...
, for publishing Karroubi's letter.
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani is an influential Iranian politician and writer, who was the fourth President of Iran. He was a member of the Assembly of Experts until his resignation in 2011...
, the leading candidate, has also pointed to organized and unjust interventions by "guiding" the votes, and has supported Karroubi's complaint http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/iran/story/2005/06/050619_mf_hashemi_statement.shtml.
A suspicious election result pointed out by Western journalist Christopher de Bellaigue was a 95% voter turnout and first place result for Ahmadinejad in the province of South Khorasan
South Khorasan Province
South Khorasan Province is a province located in eastern Iran. Birjand is the centre of the province. The other major cities are Ferdows and Qaen....
. This despite that region's large numbers of disgruntled Sunni Muslims, and Ahmadinejad's association with "intrusive Shia Islamism
Islamism
Islamism also , lit., "Political Islam" is set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only a religion but also a political system. Islamism is a controversial term, and definitions of it sometimes vary...
."
Also, some political groups, including the reformist party Islamic Iran Participation Front
Islamic Iran Participation Front
The Islamic Iran Participation Front is a reformist political party in Iran...
, have alleged that Ahmadinejad had only ranked second because of the illegal support and advertising activities for him during the voting by the supervisors selected by the Guardian Council
Guardian Council
The Guardian Council of the Constitution , also known as the Guardian Council or Council of Guardians, is an appointed and constitutionally-mandated 12-member council that wields considerable power and influence in the Islamic Republic of Iran....
, while the supervisors should have remained impartisan according to the election law. Also, the reformist newspaper Shargh
Shargh
Shargh is the most popular reformist newspaper in Iran. It is managed by Mehdi Rahmanian, and its chief editor was Mohammad Ghouchani in its first period of publication...
has pointed to an announcement by Movahhedi Kermani, the official representative of the supreme leader in Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, mentioning "vote for a person who keeps to the minimum in his advertisements and doesn't lavish", which uniquely pointed to Ahmadinejad. http://sharghnewspaper.com/840330/html/online.htm#s245649
Some of the controversies involve activities of the Guardian Council such as the publishing an opinion poll before the election giving Ahmadinejad front-runner status. It also announced the partial results of the election on the day after the election, putting Ahmadinejad on the second rank while he was still in the third rank in the partial statistics published by the Ministry of Interior, which led to President Khatami going to the Ministry several times and explicitly asking the Council to not announce any more partial results.
External links
- Guide to Iran's presidential polls, from BBC News
- Angus Reid Consultants - Election Tracker
- The text of the Iranian law for presidential elections (in Persian)
- ISNA report on Mousavi's declination, reported by Karroubi (in Persian)
- Situation on December 6 (in Persian)
- Run off results from the BBC
- http://tofoiran.packdeal.com/clips/DrIman/20060906-DrIman-CNN-225.asx
Sources
- Iran newspaper on the elections atmosphere after Mousavi'e declination (in Persian)
- various news articles by SharghSharghShargh is the most popular reformist newspaper in Iran. It is managed by Mehdi Rahmanian, and its chief editor was Mohammad Ghouchani in its first period of publication...
newspaper and BBC Persian