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| Conservatives sweep Iranian elections |
| 2004-02-22 |
| Islamic conservatives hostile to President Mohammad Khatami’s liberal reforms swept towards a predictable victory over shackled reformists on Saturday after a disputed parliamentary election with a sharply reduced turnout. Interior Ministry figures showed conservatives won 133 of the first 194 provincial seats declared, Deputy Parliament Speaker Behzad Nabavi said. A total of 289 seats were at stake. Reformists won 37, independents 17 and five were reserved for Iran’s religious minorities — Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians. In 31 districts where no candidate polled more than 25 percent, there will be a run-off later. There was not one woman among the first 194 lawmakers elected. There were 13 in the outgoing parliament. Vice President Mohammad Ali Abtahi said the national turnout was about 50 percent and in Tehran just 29 percent, sharply down on the 67 percent who voted nationwide in 2000, when President Mohammad Khatami’s reformist allies won two-thirds of the seats. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #13 Noony: simple. Because they want to eat our brains. |
| Posted by: Phil Fraering 2004-2-22 11:37:07 PM |
| #12 Trolls. Why do they hate us ? |
| Posted by: Nonny 2004-2-22 12:01:16 PM |
| #11 OldSpook -- Please tell me that this IS going to happen. We should be doing everything possible to undermine the Iranian regime from within. But are we? I haven't seen many signs. |
| Posted by: closet neo-con 2004-2-22 11:05:54 AM |
| #10 the national turnout was about 50 percent and in Tehran just 29 percent It must be much harder for the Mullahs in Tehran to stuff ballot boxes than it is in other areas of Iran. |
| Posted by: Mike Sylwester 2004-2-22 10:46:48 AM |
| #9 Please forebear Mr. Gromky, NMM is not a "loser". He is a lonely man who misses his hometown, he is stuck in the south but in his mind he is destined for New York or Chicago. Unfortunately NMM is a little too old for going on to Al Franken great things... but NMM does have his set of blogs. Most sadly is my patients lack of hourmor, it could save him from being a troll, but alas his houmor gland was destroyed in a childhood accident. This is the same reason he rides a girls bike. He was showing some signs of progress until Mr. Hussein was capture. I'm worried about him. Please be nice if possible. |
| Posted by: Nmms Therapist 2004-2-22 10:20:50 AM |
| #8 Another NNM post in the wee hours of the morning. This time, it's not a weeknight - it's a Saturday night! Who the Hell is awake at 3 o'clock on Saturday night, sitting in front of the computer posting far-left material on a weblog? At 3am on Saturday night, either you're asleep, or partying, or passed-out drunk from partying. Instead, NotMike Moore is hunched over the computer, cackling as he posts his knee-jerk responses (and guffawing as gullible posters respond to him on his own terms). At 3:15am. On Saturday night. I'm all for seeing some opposing opinions in here, but jeez, even if NNM was posting material I agreed with 100%, he's still a loser for being on the computer on Saturday night. |
| Posted by: gromky 2004-2-22 9:11:40 AM |
| #7 NMM, that's why I was being sarcastic when I said I could guess why. Thanks for illustrating my point, Mr. Stupid White Man. AG Ashcroft has yet to let his personal faith interfere with the performance of his job, unlike his predessor Mr. Janet Reno who enjoyed roasting innocent Christians and their little children alive. Don't forget it was your boy Gen. Wesley Clark who loaned Janet the tanks for that episode. |
| Posted by: Jennie Taliaferro 2004-2-22 4:05:33 AM |
| #6 Jennie and Paul you're both wrong--they are theocrats like John Ashcroft--may God help save our republic from the religious nutz |
| Posted by: NotMike Moore 2004-2-22 3:14:30 AM |
| #5 Because they are social conservatives? |
| Posted by: Paul Moloney 2004-2-22 2:01:31 AM |
| #4 Uh, Bernardz, part of the reason for the low turnout was a grassroots boycott of the election called by the reformists. I can't wait for the Iranian people to get rid of the mullahs, but what I wanna know is why does the mainstream Lib media keep calling the mullahs and their enablers "Conservatives?" (Like I can't guess.) |
| Posted by: Jennie Taliaferro 2004-2-22 1:56:33 AM |
| #3 There is a dispute over exactly what is the voter turnout. Both sides are claiming different figures. Part of the reason for the low turnout maybe that many in Iran are disenchanted with the lack of success that the moderates had the last time even though they gained much of the seats. |
| Posted by: Bernardz 2004-2-22 1:47:49 AM |
| #2 Paging George Soros.. |
| Posted by: Paul Moloney 2004-2-22 12:40:09 AM |
| #1 Surprise meter: (tap, tap), nope. not budging off the zero peg. at all. Key now is getting the student protests off the ground in the spring. And supporting them from Iraq, clandestinely with material and oprganizational training, and openly with TV, radio and free press. The mullahs dont realize it but they just signed their own eviciton papers. Only question left is how many die in the process. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2004-2-22 12:19:46 AM |