Khatami supporters move to commanding lead
Special to World Tribune.com
MIDDLE EAST NEWSLINE
Monday, February 21, 2000
NICOSIA [MENL] -- Supporters of Iranian President Mohammed Khatami continued
on Sunday to build a commanding lead in parliamentary elections.
By mid-Sunday, analysts were saying reformist candidates aligned with
Khatami would win 75 percent of the 290 seats in the parliament.
Conservatives trailed behind while the party led by former President Hashemi
Rafsanjani was believed to be in last place.
With a turnout reported at 83 percent, Khatami supporters claimed
victories in every major Iranian city, including Mashhad and Qoms, the seat
of Shi'ite Islam and the stronghold of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
Among the losers were top conservative members of parliament.
The outgoing parliament was composed of roughly 120 conservatives, 80
reformers and 70 independents. In Teheran, where the votes were still being
counted on Sunday, pro-Khatami forces won at least half of the 30
parliamentary seats. This included the brother of the Iranian president,
Mohammed Reza Khatami.
The elections have been marred by violence in southern Iran. Residents
of the Iranian towns of Shadegan and Shush accused incumbents of buying
votes to win Friday's elections.
"Whatever the results, the most immediate gain from this is a wonderful
victory for the great nation, which with its presence added another golden
page to the book of its destiny," Khatami said in a message to voters. "You
cultured people showed that you are still moving toward strengthening the
system, whose pillars remain Islam and spirituality, independence, freedom
and progress."
U.S. officials said they were pleased by the unofficial results.
Official results are expected to take another 10 days until they are
released.
"We were very pleased by the fact that the voter turnout was so high,"
U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said: "The Iranian people,
clearly, by going to the polls in such large numbers, have demonstrated
their eagerness to use the electoral process to make their voices heard and
to chart their country's political direction. Their enthusiasm is testimony
to the growing strength of democracy in Iran, which we do welcome."
A Jewish woman, Hilda Rafeizadeh, is running in Shiraz for one of the
parliamentary seats. Ms. Rafeizadeh, 47, a tour guide, said the Jewish
constituency is supporting her candidacy.
Shiraz is the city in which 13 Jews were arrested and accused of spying
for Israel and the United States. Iranian sources expect the 13 to be
released within the next 10 days.
Ms. Rafeizadeh told the official Islamic Republic News Agency that she
hoped that just as three suspects have been released on bail "others will
also be released in the near future."
In the parliament, Christians, Jews, Zoroastrian have one seat.
Assyrians and Caledonians have an additional seat. The Jewish seat is being
contested by four candidates.
As votes were being counted, the Baghdad-based Iranian opposition group,
Mujahdeen Khalq, attacked an Iranian border bost. Iranian television said
three soldiers were injured in Friday night's attack in western Iran.
Thursday, February 17, 2000
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