TEHRAN: Iran’s raucous election campaign fell silent a day before the vote as rallies were barred yesterday to give the public time to reflect on whether they want to keep President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in power or replace him with a reformist more open to closer ties with the West.
The campaign reached a crescendo in the past few days with dueling rallies by supporters of Ahmadinejad and his main challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi that drew tens of thousands into the streets of Tehran. Fervent, youthful supporters of Mousavi accused the president of undermining Iran’s international standing with his confrontational style and of devastating the economy. The stakes are extremely high for Iran — the new leader must decide how to respond to President Barack Obama’s offer for dialogue after a nearly 30-year diplomatic chill.
The Obama administration is cautiously watching the vote for signs the country may be willing to engage, but US officials have meager expectations for change.
Tehran residents went about removing posters and banners from buildings and cars as campaigning officially ended early yesterday. State media and the candidate’s websites encouraged people to vote today.
“I ask people to go to polling stations in early hours of voting, otherwise in the latter hours stations will be crowded,” said the head of election headquarters, Kamran Daneshjou. About 40,000 polling stations are set to open at 8 a.m. The polls may remain open until midnight depending on turnout among the 46-million-strong electorate.
The Interior Ministry issued a statement asking people to report any voting violations to their local governors’ offices. Daneshjou also said violations should be reported and that the headquarters will allow about 110,000 representatives of the candidates to be present in the stations nationwide.
In the final hours of the fierce contest, Mousavi got a sharp warning from the country’s powerful Revolutionary Guard that authorities would crush any attempt at a popular “revolution” inspired by the huge rallies and street parties calling for more freedoms.
