Iran Elections Thread

4 Comments

1. 

   Oui on June 21, 2009 at 3:38 pm

   .
   Chatham House: Analysis of the Voting Figures in Iran’s 2009 Presidential Election (pdf)

   Furthermore, there are concerns about the numbers themselves. Two provinces, Mazandaran and Yazd, have results which indicate that more votes were cast on 12 June than there were eligible voters, and that four more provinces had turnouts in the mid-nineties. [Election  results by province]

   In a country where allegations of ‘tombstone voting’ – the practice of using the identity documents of the deceased to cast additional ballots – are both longstanding and widespread, this result is troubling but perhaps not unexpected.

   This problem did not start with Ahmadinejad; according to official statistics gathered by the International institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance in Stockholm, there were 12.9% more registered voters at the time of Mohammed Khatami’s 2001 victory than there were citizens of voting age.

   In conclusion, a number of aspects of the reported turnout figures are problematic. The massive increases from 2005, the collapse of regional variations, and the absence of any clear correlation between increases in turnout and increased support for any candidate on their own make the results problematic.

   Previous comment on Revolutionary Guards, Election and Manipulation

   • 

     BooMan on June 21, 2009 at 4:25 pm

     not to mention the superhuman counting ability.

   • 

     DaveW on June 21, 2009 at 4:29 pm

     It does strain credulity to think that a massive increase in turnout results in a landslide for the incumbent. Things just don’t work that way, at least not in the less-magical places.

     • 

       Errol on June 21, 2009 at 7:19 pm

       maybe it’s magical  realism