Shiva Balaghi is an editor at MERIP and, beginning in July, a fellow at the Cogut Center for Humanities at Brown University (where she will teach history). She has been compiling information on the outcome of the elections from news sources, youtube videos, facebook, and emails from colleagues in Iran. Her report:
Something’s happening here…And by now, it’s pretty clear what we are witnessing in Iran. No one can claim that the elections for President of Iran are indicative of a genuine democracy. Still, within the very narrow field of candidates that are allowed to run for office within highly regulated elections, there has been some fluidity. This allowed the IRI [Islamic Republic of Iran] to have a safety valve, allowing some modicum of participatory government. This completely rigged election that reinstated a highly unpopular president has now shown deep cleavages within the ruling classes of Iran.
Long before it could have been feasible to actually count votes, Ahmadinejad claimed a landslide victory in the June 12 presidential elections. Iranian presidential elections are determined by simple majority. Hours before the last polls closed (in LA), the official count was giving Ahmadinejad an insurmountable lead in the 60%s.
The Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei issued a public statement that with nearly 80% of the electorate casting votes, the winning candidate has received 24m votes in this magnificent and beautiful presidential elections. This is a genuine celebration that our enemies are seeking to undermine; they want to steal the sweetness of this victory from our people, so our dear youth must be completely alert and all candidates must refrain from any provocative words or actions. Given that the Supreme Leaders is the final power over Iran’s judiciary and military forces, his statement essentially blocks off any appeal process and signals whose supporters will be receiving the butt end of batons.
The Ministry of Interior is charged with overseeing the election process. Last night, according to news reports, several officials of that ministry protested the way election results were being announced; however, links to these Iranian press reports were blocked on the internet. Even a cursory review of election figures released by the Ministry of Interior gives pause. There is a perfect linear relationship between votes for Ahmadinjead and those for Mousavi—who seems to have received half as many votes as Ahmadinejad in every precinct across the country. As Tehran Bureau, a clearing house for information, reports, “Statistically and mathematically, it is impossible to maintain such perfect linear relations between the votes of any two candidates in any election — and at all stages of vote counting. This is particularly true about Iran, a large country with a variety of ethnic groups who usually vote for a candidate who is ethnically one of their own.”
Mousavi’s spokesman claims he received word from the Ministry of Interior that he had won the elections and had already begun preparations for a large celebration on Sunday. His campaign offices in north Tehran were attacked and several of his campaign workers were hospitalized. He had announced a press conference at 2 pm Tehran time, but this never took place. By some reports, he met with former President Rafsanjani, who ardently opposed Ahmadinejad’s re-election, to strategize on their next steps. The award winning director Mohsen Makhmalbaf announced from Paris that he was the spokesperson for Mousavi outside of Iran. By some estimates, Mousavi gained 80% of overseas votes with Iranians voting in England, N Korea, Iraq, US, Australia, etc.
Days before the election took place, the Revolutionary Guard warned against a “velvet revolution” in Iran… This has become the code phrase used whenever scholars, artists, fashion designers, medical researchers, women’s rights activists, students, and union organizers are rounded up and thrown in prison. It signaled, more strongly than anything else, that the thousands who were peacefully protesting for Mousavi in the run up the election were going to become targets of the security forces.
Protestors are taking to the streets and their computers. Though the IRI has shut down SMS texting, a regular tool used for campaigning and election monitoring in Iran, street protestors are using their cell phones to take pictures and videos that they download. Several youtube videos show major protests in Tehran’s largest thoroughfares, including Vali Asr Street and Vanak Square. Many protestors are seen wearing green, throwing stones, setting bonfires to stop traffic. In one demonstration, streetsweepers join the crowds who chant, “Streetsweeping brothers, pick up Mahmoud and haul him off!”
Security forces are carrying out Operation Sovereignty. In photos taken at 6 pm local time in Tehran, we see hundreds of riot police in full gear throwing tear gas into the crowds with batons in hand. Other videos taken by protestors using cell phones show riot police and plain clothes thugs beating up demonstrators, including veiled women, who are heard screaming “Don’t hit me!” Some clips contain the sounds of gunfire. All the protestors are clearly unarmed, though a few are seen throwing rocks.
As darkness fell over Tehran, tens of thousands are still in the streets protesting. Reminiscent of protests that took place before the 1979 Revolution, some are chanting from their rooftops, “Death to the Dictator!” Other slogans include: “Liar, liar: where is my vote? 10 million, 20 million, we didn’t vote for the monkey!” Sounds of gunfire fill the streets, but observers say most are shooting into the air. There are unconfirmed reports of 50-100 deaths.
There have been rumors that Mousavi was detained, by Iranian rights groups say this is not the case. He issued a brief statement on his website to his supporters saying: Your will has been blocked by a strange phenomenon in the name of lies and cheating. I urge you, valued people, to be patient and I assure you that to the last of my ability, I will defend the rights of the Iranians. I call on you to help observe calm.
Ahmadinejad gave a live speech on Iranian television. He said the government belongs to the people. In a clear reference to Mousavi, who was one of the leaders of the Islamic Republic Party during the revolutionary movement, he called on those with a background in revolution to given in to people's demands, respect people's rights & to stand by him as companions of Prophet did. He said the past no longer matters and even those who once stood alongside Imam Khomeini should only be judged by what they do today. He invited all Iranians, including those outside the country, to join hands & assist him. Election is over. He called Iran's youth his children.
The IRI is quickly closing off media websites, including the BBC Persian service. Facebook, used heavily by Mousavi supporters, is being filtered.
Speaking from Ramallah, the esteemed Jimmy Carter—known for monitoring elections worldwide—diminished the importance of the Iranian presidential elections and said he hoped in his second term, Ahmadinejad would moderate his positions. Hamas welcomed Ahmadinejad’s victory, while several Israeli politicians already announced that his reelection signals a need for external forces to intervene.
The US media has been horrible in its coverage of the elections and its aftermath. NPR had more coverage of the European soccer last night and of the Stanley Cup this morning. It was evening in Tehran before Amanpour did a short piece for CNN. Even Keith Olbermann had a sleepy dude from the New America Foundation on … without even bothering to explain what his credentials as an Iran expert are. With an estimated 750k Iranians living in the US and several major academic organizations devoted to Iranian Studies, the unwillingness and inability of the US media to cover these elections properly is truly indicative of a larger problem in Irano-US relations. US press coverage has been embarrassing and shameful.
