Iran presidential election

[WMS]

I'm quite sure these elections were less than clean.

We agree on one thing - Rafsanjani ain't no moderate.

Yep. When all the candidates aren't even allowed to run, you do not have a clean election.

And Rafsanjani is only moderate on a relative scale - it's extremist time in Iran...

[WMS]

I'm quite sure these elections were less than clean.

We agree on one thing - Rafsanjani ain't no moderate.

Yep. When all the candidates aren't even allowed to run, you do not have a clean election.

That's not even what I meant...that system Iran is using there is obviously very open to abuses - and has been abused from time to time, see the last parliamentary election - but its original purpose, and still its main function, is the same as the types of laws requiring deposits, signatures etc to get onto the ballots in western countries. I agree in principle, though.

Yeah, the structure itself, minus the Ayatollah influence, is kind of a constitutional republic. But the Ayatollah influence trumps everything else.

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More like the more pragmatic of two conservatives (you can replace that last word with something more suitable if you object to it, btw)
[/quote]

Wingnuts?

Yes, M, I enjoyed your pun on Dr. Seuss.

And I agree with Carl that the forcible stifling of the reformists will only lead to a greater internal upheaval.

[WMS]

Well, let's see if the sh!t hits the fan now...

[WMS]

in all fairness it's very likely not much will change especially since President of Iran is essentially a figurehead position anwyay. opebo could become Iranian President and nothing would change.

Shi'ism allows temporary marriages for the purposes of short-term affairs - opebo'd like that, I suppose.

[WMS]

Does it allow you to pay a woman to be your wife for 2 hours?

It might, actually, although I think one day's the smallest time allowed. I'm not kidding about this, either; it's an odd little bit of religious law from the shari'a.

[WMS]

That's right...Islam bans extramarital sex of all types but has very liberal divorce and remarriage laws that might theoretically be exploited in such a fashion.

Which Ibn Battuta used to his own advantage in marrying and divorcing a string of women across the Islamic world...

[WMS]

Interesting article. Biased as hell, but interesting nonetheless. Considering how much mullah corruption is a cause of Iran's economic problems, we'll see if Ahmad can make a dent in it. Assuming he doesn't drag Iran into a war.

The EDC should receive the lion's share of the blame for the economy, too - they made certain Khatami couldn't do much, really. And for the Russians, who have been cheering Karimov on in Uzbekistan (along with the Chinese, natch) to issue platitudes about democracy to the U.S., err, well, .

I'll be watching the reactions, if any, of the Iranian people...

[WMS]

Thanks for the info. Very interesting - the regional breakdown of the vote isn't reported on much.

I wonder what a genuinely free and fair election would look like? I bet there would always be an 'Azeri' candidate (I wonder if the Kurds voted for him?) given the Azeri concentration in the NW, a 'Baluchi' candidate, and so on.

Hmm...