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AIC
UPDATE - June
2005 | Vol. 2 | No. 23
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On Thursday June 16 at 9 a.m., campaigning for the
ninth Presidential election officially came to a close
24 hours before the polls open. As campaigning
ended, Iran's electoral process drew sharp criticism
from President Bush claiming that it "ignores the
basic requirements of democracy." Only eight (six
orginally plus two at urging of Supreme Leader) of
the nearly
1,000 would-be candidates were selected by the
Guardian Council to stand in the election. Polls
indicate that three candidates remain serious
contenders, led by the reinvented former President
Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Both reformist Mostafa
Moin and hard-liner Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf
appear poised to ride late growing support into
Friday's election. By most accounts no candidate will
receive the required 50% threshold, thereby forcing a
runoff election.
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Former
Minister of Culture and Higher Education Mostafa
Moin
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Former
President (1989-97) Ali Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani
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Former
National Police Chief Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf
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AIC Update is an information resource for US-Iran
relations and the efforts of the American Iranian
Council to promote dialogue and understanding
between the United States and Iran.
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| Ninth Presidential Election |
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The Iranian election period is particularly short,
and
little attention was paid to candidates before the
Guardian Council made its May 24, 2005
announcement declaring six candidates (later 8)
eligible to stand in the ninth Presidential election.
However, the final week of campaigning has seen a
marked increase in international media coverage.
Outgoing reformist President Mohammad Khatami will
leave office amid uncertainty over whether it was
the man or the office that was not strong enough to
enact the promised reforms. Despite its setbacks,
the reform movement has clearly set the current
stage of Iranian politics. The race was originally
predicted to be a contest among conservative
stalwarts, but amid voter apathy, unusually
pragmatic rhetoric has driven three candidates to the
top of the polls. Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani appears
to have reinvented himself in the eyes of the West
as a savior for moderation, and Mostafa Moin has
emerged as the successor to the Khatami-styled
reform movement. The populist former national
police chief, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, has defined
himself as an independent conservative seeking
fundamentalist reforms.
The June 17, 2005 vote could determine the fate of
Iran's nuclear stand-off with the West and ties with
the United States. In recent days Iran's ninth
Presidential election has become overwhelmingly
entwined with these issues, and has even drawn the
attention from the White House. Please review some
of the coverage of each of the candidates.
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| About Us |
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Vision
The vision of the American Iranian Council is that the
United States and Iran will work together, since their
common interests far outweigh their differences. AIC
also envisions the Iranian-American community
playing an increasingly significant role in American
society, and Iran becoming a democratically
developed member of the global community with full
respect for human rights.
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Mission
The mission of AIC is to be a constructive force, in
cooperation and partnership with other organizations,
in bringing the United States and Iran together,
involving the Iranian-American community in the
dialogue, and bringing attention to social and political
conditions in Iran.
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Goals
The three
interrelated goals of the American Iranian Council
are:
1.
To serve as a platform for sustained dialogue on U.S.-
Iran relations.
2. To serve as a catalyst to educate all Americans,
including Iranian-Americans, regarding this
dialogue.
3. To serve as a forum for discussion of issues of
importance in Iranian society.
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Copyright © 2005 American Iranian Council. All
rights reserved.
American Iranian Council | 20 Nassau Street, Suite
111 | Princeton | NJ | 08542
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