IRNA, so you know it's true
Iranians appeared to have displayed a respectable turnout in the Friday`s Majlis (Parliamentary) elections. With polling extended by four hours beyond the official closing time to allow latecomers to vote, an interior ministry source told Reuters first estimates suggested a reduced but respectable national turnout of between 47 and 52 percent. That compares with 67 percent in 2000 when reformers linked to President Mohammad Khatami swept two-thirds of the 290 parliamentary seats.
| They had to extend voting for four hours to get the totals up to the 50 percent range? |
Iran`s clerical leaders and state media had exhorted voters to "slap America in the face" by turning out in droves, seeking to tap a deep vein of nationalism and suspicion of foreign interference among many Iranians. In Tehran, the ministry source said turnout was down to 20-25 percent. But the reformers` predictions of a nationwide turnout of 40 percent or less appeared to have been dashed. Conservatives had forecast up to 60 percent but were quick to note that around 50 percent would be comparable to U.S. presidential elections. Iran`s clerical rulers sought a high turnout to endorse the legitimacy of the Islamic system.
| And made sure they got it... |
Official participation figures and first results were not expected until early on Saturday. The Interior Ministry extended voting in Iran`s 28 provinces by four hours to 10 p.m. to accommodate late voters. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, among the first to cast his ballot, said the Islamic Republic`s enemies were trying to deter young people from voting. "You see how those who are against the Iranian nation and the Islamic Revolution are trying so hard to prevent people from going to the polls," Ayatollah Khamenei told reporters. President Karensky Khatami voted at the Interior Ministry. He told reporters: "This nation has been defeated many times but continued its path and created surprises." |