Iran Finds Fraud But Calls Election Clean Enough

By Mary Papenfuss,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 22, 2009 2:46 AM CDT
Iran Finds Fraud But Calls Election Clean Enough
A person holds a bill with the eyes of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's eye cut out while Iranian-Americans and supporters protest the Iranian presidential election in Los Angeles.   (Getty Images)

An eerie silence descended on Tehran early today as Iranian officials admitted to discrepancies in the controversial presidential election, but still declared it legal. More votes were cast in 50 cities than the number of registered voters, officials concluded. But authorities said the discrepancy, which affects some 3 million votes, was a "normal occurrence," and unlikely to have changed the outcome of the race, reports the New York Times.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reportedly defeated challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi by 11 million votes. Activists, meanwhile, expressed despair after some 10 people were killed during a clampdown on weekend protests, reported the Guardian. Mousavi continued to urge Iranians to protest peacefully despite a warning from Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, that protests would not be tolerated. (More Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stories.)

Get breaking news in your inbox.
What you need to know, as soon as we know it.
Sign up
Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X