Report: Iran election concerns coming to an end
Iran, Politics, 5/23/2000

As Iran is about to convene its newly elected Majlis (Parliament), the delays that have occurred to ensure sound election results seem to be coming to an end.

"Iran's Interior Ministry on Tuesday started court action against the Secretary of the Guardians' Council for insinuations against the National Elections Headquarters that, it said, amounted to mere 'accusations'," the Iranian news agency IRNA reported.

Also today, Director General of the Interior Ministry for National Elections Qadimi Zaker said "that the Guardians' Council was unwarrantedly procrastinating its final word on the polls counts in 18 constituencies, and that despite the insistence of the Interior Ministry the Guardians Council had not yet announced the numbers of 534 ballot boxes in Tehran Province that it had invalidated in the course of its scrutiny earlier this month." If the results are not provided by tomorrow, it will deprive legal winner of their right to be present at the coming Saturday convening of the Iranian sixth Parliament session, IRNA said.

Meantime, Mostafa Tajzadeh, head of the Election Headquarters and deputy interior minister for the political affairs, said on yesterday that no serious rigging has been committed in the balloting process in the Tehran constituency. Tajzadeh called on the Guardian Council to introduce the wrongdoers in the elections to the Tehran Governor's Office to bring them to justice, IRNA said.

In an interview with IRNA, "he commented on the letter sent to the Judiciary head by the Guardian Council secretary and said the perpetrators of electoral offenses, if any, should be prosecuted by the judicial system officers. Every body, either a legal or real person, can lodge complaints with the law court with the valid documents and evidence and the Judiciary would follow up and deal with the case, Tajzadeh said. adding that the responsibility to pursue perpetrators or find out the offenses rests with the judicial system and not with the guardian council," the agency reported.

As the debate raged on whether Iranian citizens rights and wishes and democratic institutions will prevail and put Iran's interest above any single individual or partisan party's interests, the Spiritual Leader of Iran Ayatullah Khamenei affirmed that Iran's revolution needs to be dynamic and evolve and gave support to the current direction that the Iranian public has chosen by giving his support to President Mohammed Khatami.

Previous Stories:
  Interior Minister asks for speedy results   (5/22/2000)
  Iran to unilateraly free Iraqi prisoners   (5/20/2000)
  Banned periodicals may resume publication   (5/13/2000)

Please add a link on your webiste pointing to ArabicNews.com and bookmark ArabicNews.com & subscribe to our daily email news bulletin.

Search