Green Energy
TEHRAN, Iran - A senior member of Iran's hard-line clerical establishment urged voters to pick anti-American candidates for parliament in a Friday speech seen as reflecting the views of the country's supreme leader.
Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami said Iranians would "rush" to the polling stations on March 14 in support of those "whose record shows opposition to the United States."
"Our people vote for such people," Khatami told worshippers on the campus of Tehran University, where the Friday sermon is broadcast on state television and radio.
Khatami's remarks were one of the only public political statements since the start of campaigning Thursday, which was immediately followed by a two-day religious holiday.
Guardian Council: Iran's Candidate Weed Wacker
Reformists are expected to do poorly in the election because Iran's constitutional watchdog, the Guardian Council, barred more than 1,700 candidates, mostly reformists, from running. It left 4,500 mostly conservative candidates in the race, and only about 200 reformists.
The Other Khatami
The main election battle is now between moderate conservatives opposed to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and hard-liners who staunchly back his economic populism and anti-American foreign policy. Opponents have criticized Ahmadinejad's handling of the foundering economy as incompetent and his aggressive stance toward the West as counterproductive.
Reformist former President Mohammad Khatami urged people Thursday to vote for the remaining reformists as the only way to counter the hard-line establishment's efforts to strengthen its grip on power.
The hard-liners believe they are the "main current in the establishment and that anybody not supporting them is outside the establishment," said the former president, who is not related to Ahmad Khatami.
The reformists have to "disrupt this game," he said, by "participating in the elections" and fighting despite their small numbers.
Recycling and Civic Pride (uh, yeah, right)
Further weakening reformists, the hard-line-dominated parliament last month banned the publication of election posters with photographs of the candidates, saying it wanted to minimize waste of paper and to keep the city's wall clean.
The law was seen as another way to bolster hard-liners, who have more access to official media.
The Weed Wacker's Resume
Hard-liners regained control of the 290-seat legislature after the Guardian Council barred thousands of reformists from running in the last parliamentary elections, in 2004.
- The Guardian Council Of Iran (?)
The Guardian Council of the Constitution is an appointed and constitutionally- council that wields considerable power and influence in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Council has played a central role in allowing only one interpretation of Islamic values...
- More Proof The Iranian Rebellion Is Spontaneous And Popular And Not An Inside Job
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- Iran Hardliner Says Election Protests Must Cease
Well, if you Mullahs are going to have it your way I say the Iranian Protestors need to learn The Chicago way, and right quickly. And then piss on your graves and tap dance on your bones. "The Guardian Council is the only legal reference in the election...
- Khatami Says Rioters Should Be Executed
From Reuters:TEHRAN (Reuters) – A hardline Iranian cleric called on Friday for the execution of leading "rioters" to teach a lesson to the thousands who have protested against the June 12 presidential election result.(EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and...
- Iran's Revolutionary Guard Warns Online Media
Newsmax: Iran's Revolutionary Guard Warns Online Media Wednesday, June 17, 2009 5:09 AM TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran's opposition announced a third day of street demonstrations Wednesday as the country's most powerful military force warned of a crackdown...
Green Energy
Khatami's Pre-Election Speech Orders
TEHRAN, Iran - A senior member of Iran's hard-line clerical establishment urged voters to pick anti-American candidates for parliament in a Friday speech seen as reflecting the views of the country's supreme leader.
Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami said Iranians would "rush" to the polling stations on March 14 in support of those "whose record shows opposition to the United States."
"Our people vote for such people," Khatami told worshippers on the campus of Tehran University, where the Friday sermon is broadcast on state television and radio.
Khatami's remarks were one of the only public political statements since the start of campaigning Thursday, which was immediately followed by a two-day religious holiday.
Guardian Council: Iran's Candidate Weed Wacker
Reformists are expected to do poorly in the election because Iran's constitutional watchdog, the Guardian Council, barred more than 1,700 candidates, mostly reformists, from running. It left 4,500 mostly conservative candidates in the race, and only about 200 reformists.
The Other Khatami
The main election battle is now between moderate conservatives opposed to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and hard-liners who staunchly back his economic populism and anti-American foreign policy. Opponents have criticized Ahmadinejad's handling of the foundering economy as incompetent and his aggressive stance toward the West as counterproductive.
Reformist former President Mohammad Khatami urged people Thursday to vote for the remaining reformists as the only way to counter the hard-line establishment's efforts to strengthen its grip on power.
The hard-liners believe they are the "main current in the establishment and that anybody not supporting them is outside the establishment," said the former president, who is not related to Ahmad Khatami.
The reformists have to "disrupt this game," he said, by "participating in the elections" and fighting despite their small numbers.
Recycling and Civic Pride (uh, yeah, right)
Further weakening reformists, the hard-line-dominated parliament last month banned the publication of election posters with photographs of the candidates, saying it wanted to minimize waste of paper and to keep the city's wall clean.
The law was seen as another way to bolster hard-liners, who have more access to official media.
The Weed Wacker's Resume
Hard-liners regained control of the 290-seat legislature after the Guardian Council barred thousands of reformists from running in the last parliamentary elections, in 2004.
- The Guardian Council Of Iran (?)
The Guardian Council of the Constitution is an appointed and constitutionally- council that wields considerable power and influence in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Council has played a central role in allowing only one interpretation of Islamic values...
- More Proof The Iranian Rebellion Is Spontaneous And Popular And Not An Inside Job
Khatami Joins With Mousavi From Hot Air: If the Iranian mullahs expected the opposition movement to die out, in some cases literally, they got a big shock today from within their ruling class. Mohammed Khatami, a former president of Iran, has apparently...
- Iran Hardliner Says Election Protests Must Cease
Well, if you Mullahs are going to have it your way I say the Iranian Protestors need to learn The Chicago way, and right quickly. And then piss on your graves and tap dance on your bones. "The Guardian Council is the only legal reference in the election...
- Khatami Says Rioters Should Be Executed
From Reuters:TEHRAN (Reuters) – A hardline Iranian cleric called on Friday for the execution of leading "rioters" to teach a lesson to the thousands who have protested against the June 12 presidential election result.(EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and...
- Iran's Revolutionary Guard Warns Online Media
Newsmax: Iran's Revolutionary Guard Warns Online Media Wednesday, June 17, 2009 5:09 AM TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran's opposition announced a third day of street demonstrations Wednesday as the country's most powerful military force warned of a crackdown...