Ahmadinejad scores big win in Iran vote

Iran votes in tight election
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By Parisa Hafezi and Fredrik Dahl
TEHRAN (Reuters) - Hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad resoundingly won Iran's election, preliminary official results showed on Saturday, but his moderate challenger alleged irregularities and claimed victory for himself.
The level of the incumbent's support, roughly twice as many votes as former Prime Minister Mirhossein Mousavi with most ballots counted, confounded analyst predictions of a tight race.
A bitterly fought campaign generated intense excitement inside Iran and strong interest around the world, with policymakers looking for signs of a change in Tehran's approach in a long-running row with the West over its nuclear ambitions.
Listing several complaints before official results were announced, Mousavi said many people had not been able to vote and that there had been a lack of ballot papers.
He also accused authorities of blocking text messaging, with which his campaign tried to reach young, urban voters.
"I am the definite winner of this presidential election," Mousavi told a news conference.
But the Islamic Republic's election commission said Ahmadinejad was ahead with 64.8 percent of the votes from Friday's presidential election in the world's fifth biggest oil exporter after more than 30 million ballots had been counted.
Mousavi had around 32 percent support, said the commission. Based on an Interior Ministry estimate of a maximum 80 percent turnout of Iran's 46 million eligible voters, he could not beat Ahmadinejad with the votes still to be counted.
The official news agency IRNA said: "Dr Ahmadinejad, by winning most votes ... has secured his victory." State media said final results would be announced at 10 a.m. (1:30 a.m. EDT).
Trita Parsi, president of the Washington-based National Iranian American Council, expressed disbelief at the wide margin in Ahmadinejad's favor.
"It is difficult to feel comfortable that this occurred without any cheating," Parsi said.
Speaking in Washington before the results were released, U.S. President Barack Obama said his administration was excited about the debate taking place in Iran and he hoped it would help the two countries to engage "in new ways."
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Western capitals had hoped a victory for Mousavi could help ease tensions with the West, which is concerned about Tehran's nuclear plans, and improve chances of engagement with Obama, who has talked about a new start in ties with Tehran.
Now they will have to find a way to deal with Ahmadinejad's government if they want to make progress in defusing the dispute over Iran's nuclear programme. Continued...
Source: Reuters