Disappeared News

by Larry Geller

The mainstream media has failed to come up with any evidence that the Iranian election was stolen, yet so many stories seem to accept that premise implicitly. And yeah, where were they when our own presidential elections were cast in doubt?

But back to Iran, here’s another article that points out how the results are in line with Ahmadinejad’s prior election performance in 2005 and with recent polling.

…Ahmadinejad’s 62.6 percent of the vote in this year’s election is essentially the same as the 61.69 percent he received in the final count of the 2005 presidential election, when he trounced former President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. The shock of the “Iran experts” over Friday’s results is entirely self-generated, based on their preferred assumptions and wishful thinking.

Although Iran’s elections are not free by Western standards, the Islamic Republic has a 30-year history of highly contested and competitive elections at the presidential, parliamentary and local levels. Manipulation has always been there, as it is in many other countries.
…
With regard to electoral irregularities, the specific criticisms made by Mousavi — such as running out of ballot paper in some precincts and not keeping polls open long enough (even though polls stayed open for at least three hours after the announced closing time) — could not, in themselves, have tipped the outcome so clearly in Ahmadinejad’s favor.

Moreover, these irregularities do not, in themselves, amount to electoral fraud even by American legal standards. And, compared with the U.S. presidential election in Florida in 2000, the flaws in Iran’s electoral process seem less significant.

If Ahmadinejad indeed won, then what are we seeing as protests seethe and Iranian leaders crack down on the press and communications? People are being killed. It might be safe to say it is a revolt or revolution. If so, it’s about much more than a rigged election.

The article commented on problems with Obama’s comments before the polls closed (see article). He’s very likely going to have to find a way to restore communications with a government headed by Ahmadinejad.

Assuming the revolution doesn’t succeed, of course.

Permalink posted by Larry @ 6/19/2009 12:46:00 PM