Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been re-elected with a reported 63 percent of the vote. Turnout was reported to be 85 percent. Here is how Iran’s Fars News Agency explained the election result:
Due to his family background, Ahmadinejad always leads a simple life. It is said that he often takes home-made lunch to office and lives in an ordinary flat. Therefore, Ahmadinejad is also enthusiastically supported by people of lower social strata in the country.
The ninth presidential election in Iranian history, took place in two rounds, first on June 17, 2005, the run-off on June 24. It led to the victory of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, with 19.48% of the votes in the first round and 61.69% in the second.
Ahmadinejad is believed to have won the second round because of his populist views, specially those regarding the poor and their economic status.
His reelection is largely believed to be the result of his anti-corruption agenda, his fight for justice, his courage in the international arena and Iran’s advancement in different scientific fields, including the nuclear technology, during his first term in office.
That description has, somehow, a familiar ring.
Notice: All comments are subject to moderation. Our comments are intended to be a forum for civil discourse bearing on the subject under discussion. Commenters who stray beyond the bounds of civility or employ what we deem gratuitous vulgarity in a comment — including, but not limited to, “s***,” “f***,” “a*******,” or one of their many variants — will be banned without further notice in the sole discretion of the site moderator.