The Plot Twists and Turns Before Iran’s Election

The Plot Twists and Turns Before Iran’s Election

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has declared that he will expose corruption and cronyism among his critics in a television special that he plans to air before the election. Fars News Agency has agreed to allocate him 25 minutes of air time (though he claims that he will receive 45) to respond to criticism from former president Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani that Ahamadinejad’s accusations of corruption towards Rafsanjani and his family are inappropriate. Leading challenger Mir-Hossein Mousavi and other reformists decry Fars’ preferential treatment for the incumbent, as none of the other challengers, nor Rafsanjani himself, are being allowed extra airtime.


 


Domestic and international coverage of the elections is prolific, including coverage by Facebook, which features an election polling and commentary application. Meanwhile, the New York Times notes that while Iran’s foreign policy dominates election coverage in the West, for Iranian voters the economy is at the top of their agenda.  Ahmadinejad went to great lengths to demonstrate during the presidential debates that Iran’s economy is in great shape, yet with shrinking growth, widespread unemployment and, according to the president’s critics, misappropriated oil revenues, many voters are not convinced.


 


The Source