Iran Hardliners Accuse Rouhani of Voter Fraud

Opponent Says Judiciary Needs to Reverse Results

Jason Ditz 

Posted onMay 29, 2017CategoriesNewsTagsIran

Iranian hardliners are continuing to grouse about the reelection of Hassan Rouhani earlier this month, with growing criticism, including from Rouhani’s opponent Ebrahim Raisi, accusing him of voter fraud and “inappropriate” interference in the lead up to the vote.

The Reformist candidate Rouhani was reelected overwhelmingly, with the 57% to 38% roughly in line with the polls in the lead up to the vote. The hardliners particularly attacked Rouhani for promising to work for the release of two opposition figures under house arrest, saying it was particularly inappropriate to get votes that way.

The two under house arrest, Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, were ironically put under house arrest for their own claims of voter fraud after the 2011 election, in which former President Ahmadinejad was reelected. Judiciary figures also attacked Rouhani for the comment calling for their release, saying all such decisions were fully up to the judiciary.

Raisi has served in the judiciary and is close with many hardline judges, and is calling on them to move against Rouhani for his action in the leadup to the election, insisting it amounts to fraud, despite no real evidence Rouhani said anything dishonest or did anything other than make campaign promises his opponent didn’t like.

http://news.antiwar.com/2017/05/29/iran-hardliners-accuse-rouhani-of-voter-fraud/