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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
US, Israel behind Iran vote-rigging rumors: Ejei
2009-06-29
[Iran Press TV Latest] Iran's Intelligence Minister has dismissed claims of vote-rigging in the presidential election, blaming the US and Israel for the spread of such rumors among the people.

"I announce that no organized rigging which could affect the result of the election has taken place," Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Ejei said in an interview with IRIB's Channel Two on Sunday night.

He said the nation's enemies conspired several months before the presidential election to stir unrest in the country and dissuade the Iranians from voting.

"Americans and Zionists sought to destabilize Iran ... they were upset with a stabilized and secure Iran ... even months before the election they started to talk about the possibility of vote-rigging in the election and they continued the course following the vote," Ejei said.

He said the Iranian intelligence services were aware of US and Israeli plots to mar the election months before the vote, adding that Iran foiled some assassination attempts masterminded by Washington and Tel Aviv.

Incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the winner of the presidential election with almost two-thirds of the votes.

The announcement triggered opposition rallies in protest at the result with defeated candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi calling for the result to be annulled.

Ejei took a swipe at Mousavi, saying his demand for holding the election anew would undermine the credibility of the electoral system.

The three defeated candidates -- Mousavi, Karroubi and Mohsen Rezaei -- have lodged more than 600 alleged 'irregularities' with the electoral watchdog, the Guardian Council.

Mousavi and Karroubi believe these irregularities are enough for the election results to be annulled.

However, the head of Iran's Electoral Office, Kamran Daneshjou, has criticized the complaints filed by the defeated presidential candidates for being 'too general'. The Guardian Council has also stressed that there were no 'major' irregularities in the presidential election.
Posted by:Fred

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