By Country / Iran
Iranian Political Watchdog Says No Electoral Fraud
June 21, 2005
Guardians Council head Ahmad Jannati (file photo)
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20 June 2005 -- Iran's Guardians Council has announced that it has found no evidence of fraud in last week's presidential election.
The head of the Guardians Council, Ahmad Jannati, said in a statement read on state television today that a partial recount had confirmed the result.
The statement said the vote "was sound and the second round will be held on Friday [24 June]."
The council, a hard-line-controlled political watchdog, agreed to a partial and random recount of ballots cast in the first round after several candidates complained of vote rigging.
Three of the seven candidates who ran in the first round of the election on 17 June have complained of irregularities they say were aimed at propelling Tehran's hard-line Mayor Mahmud Ahmadinejad into a runoff against moderate conservative cleric Ayatollah Ali-Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani.
The recount only covered 100 out of a total of more than 41,000 ballot boxes.
(Reuters/AFP)
See also:
As Winners Head For Runoff, Losers Complain Of Fraud
For RFE/RL's full coverage, see "Iran Votes 2005"