Photos by Syma Sayyah
Iran to choose new parliament in muted election - After a week of
lackluster campaigning, 44 million eligible voters can choose from two
conservative factions and one reformist group to represent them in the 290-seat
assembly. Campaigning was banned on Thursday for the final day before the
elections, which are expected to see conservatives tighten their grip on the
chamber in the absence of a full-strength reformist challenge. -AFP
Iran clerical city set for famous conservative as MP - DIran's holy city
of Qom, a place of seminary schools and turbaned clerics, is set to elect a
heavyweight Iranian conservative to the next Iranian parliament -- former
nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani. The bearded non-cleric last summer stepped down
as Iran's top nuclear negotiator, admitting that policy differences between
himself and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad were so great they could no longer
work together. -AFP
Reformists to sit out Iranian poll - The reformists have not found a way
to fight back against a system that now seems stacked against them. Many of
their supporters will simply not go out and vote in the parliamentary elections
on Friday. In fact, here in the smart suburbs of North Tehran it's hard to find
anyone who is going to vote. -BBC
Iran's
president wins only accolades in home town - Don't come to the sleepy
market town where Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was born and expect to
hear him criticized for his handling of the nuclear issue, the economy, or
anything else really. Just ahead of Friday's parliamentary election, voters in
Aradan admit they are troubled by inflation, rising housing costs and
unemployment, but few blame the president. -Reuters
Iran poll to offer no sure verdict on Ahmadinejad - Iran's parliamentary
polls on Friday may reinforce President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's chances of winning
a second term next year, but even if his hardline supporters do badly, it is too
early to write him off. After a week of lackluster campaigning, 44 million
eligible voters can choose from two conservative factions and one reformist
group to represent them in the 290-seat assembly. -Reuters
Khomeini
Granddaughter Slams Hard-Liners - She is a granddaughter of Ayatollah
Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of the 1979 Islamic revolution, but Zahra Eshraghi
has long been a leader of reformers seeking to liberalize Iran. She sees dark
days for the country, at least in the short run, given the hard-liners' lock on
power. To break that hold, she says, former reformist President Mohammad Khatami
must run against hard-line leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad next year. -AP
Iran's first-time voters split - With more than 60% of the Iranian
population under the age of 30, young people will have a big influence on the
forthcoming parliamentary elections. Even though the minimum voting age was
raised this year from 15 to 18, a lot of people will be voting for the first
time. -BBC
Supreme leader insists Iran vote fair - Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei on Wednesday said the United States and its allies were behind
criticism that upcoming parliament elections will be unfair. The Ayatollah, who
is Iran's top authority on all state and religious matters, said Iranians on
Friday should elect those who are firm in their opposition of the United States
and in their loyalty to Iran's Islamic system. -AP
Iran media lean to the right - Most Iranian media outlets appear to have
tilted in favour of the conservative camp during the campaign for the country's
parliament, the Majlis. -BBC
... Payvand News - 03/13/08 ...
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