Iraanse conservatieven winnen zoals verwacht

Obsidian Wings heeft het nieuws op een rijtje gezet.

Nog wat meer links:

Deze verkiezing wordt in het westen toch nog in redelijke mate als democratisch beschouwd, maar wat er is gebeurd is nauwelijks democratisch te noemen:

The most astonishing aspect of Friday's presidential vote in Iran is not that the elections will go into a second round but that Tehran managed to convince so many in the West that this is a real demonstration of democracy.

All power is held by Supreme Leader Ali Khameni, his Council of Guardians and the small clique of military officers and businessmen around him. The Council disqualified more than 1,000 candidates before the election, vetting only contestants who support the regime's ideological lines. The example of outgoing "reformist" President Mohammad Khatami, who presided over eight years of economic decline and worsening repression, has proven that the President cannot change anything against the Council's will.

The one number worth parsing in Friday's election is that of voter participation. Many Iranians had called for a boycott as the only way of showing resistance. Knowing this, the mullahs seem to have taken their usual election manipulations to another level. Intimidation by the Revolutionary Guards and the fact that proof of voting is needed for certain jobs and welfare payments have always pushed up turnout. Still, voter participation has steadily declined in the past few years to barely 50%.

The Wall Street Journal: Iran's 'Democracy' -- A rigged election, no reformist victory (Via Cox & Forkum. Het voelt vies om naar hen te linken, militant-conservatief als ze zijn)

PubliusPundit wijst ernaar hoe de verkiezingen laten zien hoe weinig het volk nog in het regime geloofd, en laat foto's zien van lege stembureau's.