IRAN Elections 2013

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The eleventh election for President of the Islamic Republic of Iran will be held in June, 2013, with the first round on Friday, 14 June. If no candidate receives 50 percent of the vote in the first round, a runoff will be held on 21 June.

The Guardian Council, a 12-member body consisting of six jurists and six theologians, has been tasked with vetting hopefuls for their qualifications and confirming the election results. After the council's screening process, and stepping down of two candidates, six candidates remain in the fray
: Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf,
Mohammad Gharazi,
Saeed Jalili,
Mohsen Rezaee,
Hassan Rouhani, and
Ali Akbar Velayati. -- He is a known figure as he was once the Foreign Minister for Iran.

Incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad did not run for re-election as he is limited to two terms or 8 years in office (Ironically similar to the US system which he so hates)

a brief profile of the Candidates follows

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf

Mayor of Tehran since 2005. He was chief commander of Imam Ridha troops in 1982 and was chief commandor of Nasr Troops from 1983 to 1984. After the end of the war, he became Managing-Director of Khatam al-Anbia, an engineering firm controlled by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (also known as Sepah) and also commander of Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force in 1996. In 2000, he became chief of the Iranian Police Forces.

Mohammad Gharazi

Minister of Petroleum from 1981 to 1985 and Minister of Post from 1985 to 1997. He was also a member of the Parliament from 1980 to 1984 and Governor of Khuzestan from 1979 to 1980.

Saeed Jalili

Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and chief nuclear negotiator since 2007. He was previously Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2005 to 2007.

Mohsen Rezaee

Secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council since 1997. He was the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps chief commander from 1981 to 1997. He was run twice for the presidency, in 2005 and 2009 elections.

Hassan Rouhani

Member of the Assembly of Experts since 1999, member of the Expediency Discernment Council since 1991, Supreme National Security Council since 1989, and head of the Center for Strategic Research since 1992. He was Deputy speaker of the Parliament from 1992 to 2000 and also Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council from 1989 to 2005.

Ali Akbar Velayati

Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1981 to 1997 and Deputy Minister of Health from 1980 to 1981. He was also a member of the Parliament from 1980 to 1981.

 

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Time Line for the Elections

7 May – The official registration of candidates began at Ministry of Interior.[77]
11 May – The time for registration was ended at 18:00 IRDT.
21 May – The final list of candidates was announced by Minister of Interior, Mostafa Mohammad Najjar. A number of 8 candidates are eligible to participate in the election.[78]
24 May – Official propagation campaigns for the final candidates was began.
13 June – End of campaigns.
14 June – Election date.
15 June – Official results will be announced by Presidential Commission.
21 June – Date of possible run-off election.
25 June – Guardian Council will confirm/unconfirm the election results.
1 August – President-elect will meet with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
3 August – Inauguration of new President, replacing Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

 

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Iran's young hope for change - Al Jazeera Blogs

Making a life and a living is a problem young people across Iran face. The official unemployment rate stands at around 12 percent, but analysts say it's at least the double. For young people, unofficially the rate could be as high as 40 percent. Never mind the brain drain – the unemployment rate has been forcing young Iranian's to move abroad for at least a decade – and according to analysts it's not getting any better.

It's not that difficult to imagine in Kashan, especially when one speaks to a student like Ali Moqaddasian. He's studying for a Masters degree in mathematics, but really wants to be working. When he's not at university, he can be found around town, studying hard or sitting in the back of his friend's van. His friend sells ice blocks on the street. Ali dresses well; pressed shirt, clean jeans and polished shoes. He looks out of place sitting with those labouring under the hot sun.

But that's where he is. "It's been almost a year since I got my Bachelors degree. I passed many employment tests, but no luck. If you have connections, finding a job is much easier," Ali said.

After he left university last year, he spent several months working in a textile factory, unable to find a job that matches his field. Many of his university friends are still working in the factory. That's why he went back to university – hoping that a Masters can finally get him a job he wants. He is clearly frustrated and says he sees no bright future for himself or people his age.

Ali finds himself stuck. It's exactly that situation which teenagers like Javad Jamalpour want to avoid. He's 17 and in highschool. Two days before Iran's presidential elections, he has gone to register for university. He wants to study, find a job and live in the place he's from. But even as a teenager, not quite yet old enough to vote, he knows there's a difficult road ahead.

"Many people in Kashan have to move out due to its lack of facilities and unemployment rate ... There are many graduates who are still unemployed, or those who are not satisfied with their jobs," he said.

Javad can't vote but he's hoping the next president pays attention to people like him, to villages and small cities like his. To his teenage friends who find themselves a little bit worried and in the same situation. To people who want a future in their own country; and who want to contribute to their country's future.

 

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Ahead of the elections the games have started

BBC News - Google detects Iran phishing attacks ahead of election

Google says it has detected and stopped thousands of phishing attacks targeting email accounts of Iranian users ahead of the 14 June presidential election.

In an online statement, the firm said it had noticed a "significant jump" in the region's overall volume of phishing activity in the last three weeks.

The timing and targets suggested the attacks were "politically motivated".

Friday's poll is the first since 2009 when President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won a controversial second term.

The election had triggered angry protests, with voters accusing Mr Ahmadinejad's camp of rigging the results in his favour.

Google's vice-president of security engineering, Eric Grosse, said the phishing attacks originated from within Iran.

 

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Hasan Rowhani is the only known reformist in the final field of 6 candidates. All the others are known Conservative candidates. Mr.Rowhani has received the backing of the former President Mr.Rafsanjhani, but then in Iran the real power is held with the Supreme Leader.

Excluded from participating in Friday's presidential elections, and with their leaders under house arrest, supporters of Iran's reformist Green Movement might be forgiven for boycotting the elections.

But they may yet come out to vote in strength.

Many now argue that the withdrawal of the only reformist in the race, Mohammad Reza Aref, in favour of the only moderate, Hassan Rowhani, has set the scene for a comeback.

A middle-of-the road cleric, Mr Rowhani is fast becoming the candidate the movement was not allowed to put up. He is pulling large crowds wherever he goes, speaking the language of reform, promising to free political prisoners, guarantee civil rights and promising to return "dignity to the nation".

At the noisy rallies, the strength of feeling among young Iranians for change is palpable. Many hold up pictures of the leaders of the Green Movement, Mir Hussein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi - pillars of the Islamic revolution - calling for their release from house arrest in Tehran.

Hassan Rowhani - normally measured and soft spoken - appears to have been energised too by the genuine hope many have invested in him to bring change.

BBC News - Is Hassan Rowhani an election hope for Iran's reformists?

 

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Iran elections 2013: After Ahmadinejad, who will be the next president? - Alarabiya.net English | Front Page

As the West, Arab Gulf states, Russia and China intently watch the Islamic Republic of Iran's 2013 presidential elections – to be held in less than two weeks on June 14 – speculations have been raised surrounding Iran's prospective president and the current six candidates who have are running for the 2013 election.
The question asked is who will be the winning candidate to inherit the presidency for the next four years, possibly eight? Who would be the political figure to manage Iran's domestic policies, foreign policies, nuclear program, regional ambitions, and Tehran's stance towards Assad's regime? And finally, what characteristics will this prospective candidate bear?

First of all, it is crucial to note that the Islamic Republic of Iran's political spectrum significantly shrunk after the Guardian Council whittled down the 686 registered presidential candidates to a mere eight, before two candidates dropped out earlier this week. More fundamentally, this political spectrum was heavily impacted when the most powerful candidates from the reformist and moderate camps were banned from running. The approved presidential candidates are carefully handpicked by the country's Guardian Council, the members of which are appointed by the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. This illustrates the character of Iran's presidential election: a closely guided circle created by the religious leaders of the country.

Secondly, it is also worth noting that scholars who study the Islamic Republic of Iran's political structure are cognizant of that fact that Iran's presidential elections are marked with unpredictability. The last two presidents, Muhammad Khatami and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, are two prominent examples of this character of unpredictability, as both presidents confronted the Supreme Leader and his establishments during their presidency.

This has served as a challenge to the hardliners, Iran's Revolutionary Guards, and the Supreme Leader. As a result, the conservative ruling clerics became determined to remove the risk by banning the politically-undesirable candidates from the outset through their veto power and constitutionally-mandated authority of the Guardian Council members. This guarantees that the next president of Iran would possess the qualities favored by the hardliners, Iran's Revolutionary Guards, and the Supreme Leader's establishments

 

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From the same article above danger signals pointing that a leading conservative candidate Saeed Jalili might become the next President which does not behold any improvement for Iran and it's neighbours.

The conservative vote will more likely be won by Jalili for several reasons. Firstly, among the other eight candidates who are approved to run for presidency, Jalili is by far the most outspoken one. Secondly, Jalili has publicly stated his political stance on significant political affairs as "détente a hundred percent", and has strongly projected a favoring of no-compromise with the United States and West over major issues like Iran's nuclear program and involvement in Syria's civil war. Moreover, he shares a considerable amount of commonality with President Ahmadinejad, and lastly, has not shown any signs of challenging the rule of the Supreme Leader/
Additionally, and more significantly, a powerful coalition of conservative clerics, Revolutionary Guard commanders, traditionalists, and high-ranking Shiite Muslim clerics – such as Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi – have been publicly endorsing Saeed Jalili as the next president of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Moreover, the largest nationwide network of paramilitary volunteers, the Basij, also announced that they would help organize Jalili's election campaign. It was this volunteer militia organization that was very instrumental in securing Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency during the first and second round of elections.
If the odds play in favor of Saeed Jalili and he wins the presidential election, Tehran is likely to face greater regional and international isolation, economic deterioration and higher inflation due to the conservative ideological and political background of this prospective candidate.

 

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Mods could we make this sticky as this election is quite crucial for shaping the mid East Geopolitical situation and also for India with the US pull out from Afghanistan fast approaching.

 

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Predictably the Western media would like the reformist candidate Mr.Rouhani to win the elections

Iran elections: 'wherever Rouhani speaks there's a frenzy' | World news | guardian.co.uk

The campaign of the relatively moderate Rouhani, who served as chief nuclear negotiator under the reformist former president Mohammad Khatami, received a boost on Tuesday when Mohammad Reza Aref, Khatami's senior vice-president, bowed out of the race. Later in the day Rouhani received explicit endorsements from both Khatami and Rafsanjani.

Of the popular mood swing that followed, the Tehran journalist said, "I never saw this coming. Everyone was so without hope and talking about not ever voting again, and this morning things have changed 180 degrees. It's like someone put something in the water last night and this morning people are just different."

According to another source in Tehran, "The atmosphere just completely changed after Khatami and Hashemi put their support behind Rouhani. People are really excited. Wherever Rouhani speaks there's a frenzy. Today in Mashhad it was like four years ago with the appearance of Mousavi."

Mir Hossein Mousavi, whose defeat by Ahmadinejad in the 2009 race is widely believed to have been rigged, attracted crowds to his campaign rallies far outnumbering those reported during the first two and a half weeks of this year's campaign.

The source continued: "Even those who were undecided or completely set against voting are saying they want to cast a ballot to make sure that anyone like Jalili doesn't win." Saeed Jalili, Iran's current nuclear negotiator, is regarded as the preferred choice of the regime's ultra-conservative leadership.

 

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this article has appeared in Daily Mail and the photographs give a completely different view of Iran as opposed to the current negative image painted by the western media

A journey through Iran: Eye-opening photographs that will change your preconceptions about the country forever | Mail Online

I have taken the liberty to share 3 photos here, please go to the site and see the breath taking photos by photographer Amos Chapple who said the real surprise of Persia was not its untouched and beautiful countryside, but how different it is from 'western perceptions of the country'.

 

[Virendra]

Let us do some profiling on the other candidates.

72 year old Mohammad Gharazi a.k.a. Mohamad Qarazi is running as the sole independent candidate in these elections.

After completing elementary education, he entered the University of Tehran and graduated in Electronics four years later. During the youth he shuttled between France and Iran, finding himself against the Iranian state on some ocassions.
He had moved to France but was back to his home country and was arrested by SAVAK in 1972. He began his political career in 1974 and was exiled to Iraq by Shah's government. He became a member of People's Mujahedeen of Iran and was move back to France in 1978. After the revolution he accompanied Khomeini in his return from Paris to Iran.
He has been the governor of Kurdistan and Khuzestan provinces. He also has been a minister in the 80s. Minister of Petroleum from 1981 to 1985 and Minister of Post from 1985 to 1997.

His campaign focuses on economic issues, and has promised to run an "anti-inflation" administration. He stresses that the Iranian Constitution has been underutilized in legal capacities. He states that potential of the constitution and the nation can practically satisfy the administration's needs.
He also indicated that he would allow his governors to be elected through popular vote, to decentralize power and allow people to manage their affairs themselves.

Regards,
Virendra

 

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Iran Election 2013: Voters Turn Out In Large Numbers

Election officials began the ballot count after voters waited on line for hours in wilting heat at some polling stations in downtown Tehran and other cities, while others cast ballots across the vast country from desert outposts to Gulf seaports and nomad pastures. Voting was extended by five hours to meet demand, but also as possible political stagecraft to showcase the participation.

The apparent strong turnout suggested liberals and others abandoned a planned boycott as the election was transformed into a showdown across the Islamic Republic's political divide.

On one side were hard-liners looking to cement their control behind candidates such as nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, who says he is "100 percent" against detente with Iran's foes, or Tehran's mayor, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf.

Opposing them were reformists and others rallying behind the "purple wave" campaign of the lone relative moderate left in the race, a former nuclear envoy, Hasan Rowhani.

A preliminary sampling of results from around Iran suggested Rowhani's appeal was broad in cities and rural areas, although the tally was too small to draw clear trends, officials handling the ballot count told The Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.

But even if the last-moment surge around Rowhani brings him to the presidency, it would be more of a limited victory than a deep shake-up. Iran's establishment – a tight alliance of the ruling clerics and the ultra-powerful Revolutionary Guard – still holds all the effective power and sets the agenda on all major decisions such as Iran's nuclear program and its dealings with the West.

 

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News from Iran Daily a government owned media outlet

Irandaily | No. 4530 | Front page | Page 1

Mass Turnout Praised

Political Desk

Millions of Iranian voters cast their ballots in Iran's 11th presidential election to elect a new president from among six candidates.
The Friday election will decide a successor to outgoing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Polls across Iran opened at 08:00 local time (03:30 GMT) on Friday and was extended until midnight due to a massive turnout.
Around 51 million people were eligible to cast their ballots in 60,000 polling stations across the country.
Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar said on Friday that 130,000 ballot boxes have been prepared for the election day.
Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei also cast his ballot in the earliest moments after the opening of the polls and urged people to vote en masse.
"Insh-Allah (God willing), the Iranian people will create a new political epic. I advise all people to vote and do so in the early hours of the morning," said the Leader after casting his ballot in Tehran early Friday.
The Leader also condemned the remarks made by US officials about the presidential poll.
"I recently heard that someone at the US National Security Council said 'we do not accept this election in Iran'," he said.
"We don't give a damn," the Leader added.
"The Iranian people... will do what is in their interest," Ayatollah Khamenei said.
Ayatollah Khamenei added that both officials and the nation are grateful to Almighty God for granting them another chance to be part of a move which is to determine the destiny of the country.
The Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar noted that 1,040 executive teams are tasked with running the presidential election; with another 1,485 teams in charge of city and rural council elections.
On measures adopted to hold the presidential election abroad, the minister said Iranian nationals overseas can vote in 290 polling centers set up in 96 countries.

 

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The massive turnout of voters late in the day is leading to speculation that the reformist candidate Mr.Rouhani might be giving a tough fight to the conservative candidates and the election might have to be decided in a second run off.

Iran presidential election: second round forecast after late flurry at polls | World news | The Guardian

Iran's presidential race appears poised for a runoff vote next week after millions of people queued until late across the country night to elect a successor to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Election officials at Iran's interior ministry were yet to announce final results but a high turnout after a last-minute excitement caused by the reformists' endorsement of a moderate candidate boosted the chances of a second round next Friday.

Hassan Rouhani, the moderate cleric backed by reformists and many opposition figures, and Tehran's pragmatic mayor, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, looked likely to emerge on top, with the chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, thought to be the favourite candidate of the clerical establishment, falling behind.

Around 4am Tehran time, the semi-official Mehr news agency cited unconfirmed reports saying Rouhani and Ghalibaf were leading in the initial counts.

At the same time, Rouhani's campaign also announced he had entered the interior ministry for a visit and talks with officials.

From the moment the polls opened state-run TV broadcast rolling coverage with a string of interviews with people sympathetic to the system. Voting was initially due to end at 6pm local time but was extended for at least five hours.

Speaking after casting his vote in Tehran, Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, urged citizens to come out en masse to refute suggestions by American officials that the election in the Islamic Republic enjoyed little legitimacy.

 

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The moderat cleric Mr.Rouhani seems to be leading the polls. The late surge in voting by the supporters of the Green Party seems to be helping him and also the endorsement by the former President Mr.Rafsanjhani.

Moderate cleric Hassan Rohani leads Iran election results - Firstpost

Moderate cleric Hassan Rohani took a commanding lead ahead of conservative rivals in Iran's presidential election, according to initial results, but his tally appeared narrowly insufficient to avoid a second round run-off on June 21.

With about 5 percent of the votes counted, the former nuclear negotiator appeared to have benefited from a late surge in support among liberal Iranians attracted by his progressive policies.

Under the election rules, a candidate has to win more than 50 percent of the total votes cast to win outright. A first round winner gaining less than that must compete with the runner-up in a second round a week later.

Rohani has about 45 percent of the votes so far.

Voting was extended by several hours at polling stations across the country on Friday as millions of Iranians turned out to cast their ballot in the first presidential race since a disputed 2009 contest led to months of political unrest.

Of the 1,819,984 votes counted so far, Rohani received 834,859, with his closest competitor, Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, getting 320,562 votes, an election official announced live on state television.

In third place was Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, with 257,822 votes, followed closely by Mohsen Rezaie, a former head of the elite Revolutionary Guard, with 214,368 votes.

some good news is coming out that the known hardliner Mr.Jalili is trailing third and in case of a second run off he will be out of the picture.

 

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Iranian expats in the US have been voting in the elections, hopefully the same would be in India also.

Iranian-Americans, expatriates vote in Iran election at polling places across US | StarTribune.com

 

[Singh]

Elections in Iran are a sham, real power is with Mullahs (and Revolutionary Guard)

 

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The real power lies with the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khameni, but in the past leaders like Ahmednijad have had major disagreements with the Supreme Leader but at the end they have to toe the line and make peace.

 

[The Messiah]

Elections in Iran are a sham, real power is with Mullahs (and Revolutionary Guard)

mullahs in iran have been more pro-India than skirt and suit wearing so called liberals.

 

[Razor]

Moderate cleric Rouhani elected president of Iran – Interior Minister

Moderate cleric Hassan Rouhani has won Iran's presidential election with just over 50 percent of votes, state TV reported. 72 percent of the 50 million Iranians turned out to vote, said Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar.

The Saturday news was reported by the country's Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar on state television.

Moderate cleric Rouhani elected president of Iran – Interior Minister — RT News