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Hardline Mayor Wins Iran Presidential Race
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Race
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| Contributor | Thomas Walker |
| Last Edited | Thomas Walker Jun 24, 2005 10:13pm |
| Category | News |
| News Date | Jun 24, 2005 10:00pm |
| Description | TEHRAN, Iran - The hardline Tehran mayor steamrolled over one of Iran's best known statesman to win the presidency Saturday in a landslide election victory that cements conservative control over the nation's political leadership.
The outcome capped a stunning upset by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who many reformers fear will take Iran back to the restrictions imposed after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The Interior Ministry gave Ahmadinejad 62.1 percent of the vote over his relatively more moderate rival, Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani, who had nearly 35.5 percent. The ministry posted a notice in its headquarters declaring Ahmadinejad the winner of Friday's runoff. The rest of the ballots were deemed invalid.
The figures were based on about 66 percent of the estimated 23 million votes cast, or nearly 49 percent of Iran's 47 million eligible voters. In last week's first round of the presidential election, the turnout was close to 63 percent.
The victory gives conservatives control of Iran's two highest elected offices — the presidency and parliament — and gives a freer hand to the non-elected theocracy, which holds the final word on all important policies. |
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