Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

July 25, 2008 5:16:58 PM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

Conservatives Lead 'Cooked' Iran Vote

Posted Mar 15, 08 3:04 PM CDT in World 

(Newser) – Early results in Iran's elections today are no surprise—conservatives will keep power—but they are expected to be more critical of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Reuters reports. Some are teaming with reformists to fight the president's economic policies, which have let inflation rise to 19%. Reformists also picked up seats despite having many candidates disqualified.

In all, “principlists"—supporters of Islamic Republic ideals—have 71% of the seats so far, and reformists 29%. Clerics and jurists removed many reformists from the ballot, often for lacking commitment to Islam. “We announce with honor that we gained victory in an unequal election,” said a reformist spokesman. The US has criticized the clerical interference, dubbing the election “cooked.”

Source Reuters

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • Iran Promises West 'Bloody Nose' Over Nuke Program

    Apr 9, 08 6:12 PM CDT
    Iran Promises West 'Bloody Nose' Over Nuke Program Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad invoked some schoolyard rhetoric today, threatening the West with a "bloody nose" over ongoing criticism of Iran's uranium enrichment program, Reuters reports. "The Iranian nation will bloody the enemy's nose if they want to violate an iota of our rights" to nuclear technology, Ahmadinejad warned. Not clear enough? "The nation will slap you in the mouth," he added. More »

  • Election Victory Emboldens Ahmadinejad

    Mar 17, 08 9:26 AM CDT
    Election Victory Emboldens Ahmadinejad More complete results from Friday's Iranian parliamentary elections show Islamist conservatives who support Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s nuclear policy sweeping about 70% of the vote, Bloomberg reports. Pro-democracy candidates, meanwhile, did poorly after clerics blocked many from running. A triumphant Ahmadinejad said the results "stamped a mark of shame and despair on the forehead of Iran's enemies." More »

  • Ruling Conservatives Should Fare Well in Iran Vote

    Mar 13, 08 6:12 PM CDT
    Ruling Conservatives Should Fare Well in Iran Vote Iranian conservatives are likely to gain seats in tomorrow's parliamentary elections despite Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's growing unpopularity, Al Jazeera reports. Iranians may disapprove of the president's economic policies, but the ruling Guardians Council barred 1,700 candidates—mainly reformists—from seeking election to the 290-seat parliament. Government officials and state-run media are urging high turnout after campaigning limited to one week. More »

  • Political Rift Weakens Ahmadinejad

    Jan 22, 08 5:57 AM CST
    Political Rift Weakens Ahmadinejad Iran's firebrand president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad suffered a serious political humiliation  yesterday when the nation's supreme leader sided with his opponents to force him to supply a billion dollars worth of natural gas to remote villages suffering power cuts. Iran's poorest communities are enduring one of the harshest winters in years, reports the Guardian. More »

  • Iran Cracks Down on the 'Un-Islamic'

    Dec 20, 07 1:09 PM CST
    Iran Cracks Down on the 'Un-Islamic' Iran is engaged in its most serious crackdown on "un-Islamic" behavior in years, the Christian Science Monitor reports, with masked police rounding up and humiliating everyone from drug dealers to immodestly dressed women. But the impulse for the crackdown isn't Islamic conservatism, the paper concludes; it's a fear of American-sponsored regime change. More »

Iranian officials work at election headquarters in Interior Ministry in Tehran, Iran, Saturday March. 15, 2008.   (AP Photo/Hasan Sarbakhshian)
Iranian journalists are seen at the election headquarters at the Interior Ministry in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, March 15, 2008.   (AP Photo)
An Iranian cleric casts his vote for the Iranian Parliamentary Elections.   (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
An Iranian cleric casts his vote for the Iranian parliamentary elections.   (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, center, talks with government spokesman Gholam Hossein Elham, left, as he fills in his ballot paper for the parliamentary elections.   (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (1 of 3)

Tags

Iran  • election  • Islam  • Mahmoud Ahmadinejad  • Ayatollah Ali Khamenei  • Iranian politics


Loading...

Loading...

Today's Most Popular


Other World Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Newser gives you more news in less time. We search for the best and most important stories all over the web, read them for you, and deliver concise and sharp summaries—along with links to the full text. Newser provides a way to stay on top of an ever-expanding horizon of news and opinion—politics, sports, business, trends, technology, personalities, crimes, and controversies. Newser keeps you not just better informed, but, with our signature graphic interface and smart condensed format, more enjoyably informed.

Learn more »