No one came close to getting 50% in the 7 candidate race for president, so there will be a run-off between the top two finishers on Friday June 24. It will be the first run-off of its kind in Iran. The Interior Ministry has reported that close to 29 million people voted, which would be a nationwide turnout of 62%. It appears that those in the runoff are a "centrist" and a "hard-liner". The boycott urged by many student and reformist groups, plus the government's decision to allow multiple "reformists" on the ballot likely, likely played a role in diluting the vote totals for the reformist candidates. Though it is also possible that the returns are the result of a rigged election - that claim is being made by the thrid place candidate.
Posted by armand at June 18, 2005 01:34 PM | TrackBack | Posted to International Affairs