Reaction To Iran Election Muted

25 June 2005 (RFE/RL) -- Foreign reaction to Tehran Mayor Mahmud Ahmadinejad's clear victory in Iran's presidential election on 24 June was varied and muted today.
A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of Indonesia, the word's most-populous Muslim country, said that Iranians deserve congratulations for the support and enthusiasm they showed for democratic process.

Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesman Naveed Moez declined to comment directly on the electoral outcome, saying that was an internal matter for Iran. But he expressed hope for continued warm relations with Tehran.

In Los Angeles in the western United States, exiled Iranian opposition leaders applauded the election result. Iranian activist Roozbeh Farhanipour said the election of Ahmadinejad will hasten the Islamic regime's ultimate fall.

The U.S. government denounced the election as flawed. State Department spokeswoman Joanne Moore said that the United States regards Iran as "out of step" with the currents of liberty evident in the region.

In a runoff vote on 24 June for the Iranian presidency, Ahmadinejad swamped moderate cleric Ali-Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani.

Iran's Interior Ministry says that Ahmadinejad polled 62.5 percent
of the vote.

(AFP/AP/IRNA)

See also:

Hard-Liner Heading To Win In Iran's Presidential Race

A New Generation And The Drift To The Right

For RFE/RL's full coverage of Iran's elections, see "Iran Votes 2005"