I/III. http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2017/05/19/522408/Iran-Presidential-Election-City-Village-Council
Polls open in ‘important’ Iran presidential election Fri May 19, 2017 3:1AM *Iranians are heading to the polls at home and abroad on Friday in closely-contested elections to choose the country’s 12th president.* Some 63,500 polling stations opened at 08:00 local time (0330 GMT) across the country and are to close at 18:00 (1330 GMT) Friday, but voting hours will likely be extended amid estimates of a high turnout. Expatriates can also cast their ballots in the presidential election at 310 polling stations in 102 countries. Long lines had already formed at polling stations around the country, with Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Khamenei being among the first to cast his ballot. Speaking after casting his vote, the Leader said, “I thank God Almighty for the blessing of democracy and people's participation in the election. This is a great blessing.” "Braise be to God, our people are thankful for this blessing. You see they are participating and my advice is that more and more people participate and come to the polls at the earliest time possible." Ayatollah Khamenei described the 2017 elections as very important, saying the destiny of the country is in the hand of the masses. "I believe a good work should be done in early hours and should not be delayed. I also believe the presidential election is very important," the Leader said. "The destiny of the county is in the hands of the people who choose the chief executive. They should heed the importance of this task," Ayatollah Khamanei added. [Video] Besides picking a president, Iranians inside the country are also voting to choose members of the country’s City and Village Councils. “The City and Village Councils Election is also important as it elects those who are in charge of urban and rural services, namely the everyday issues involving the people,” the Leader added. This year’s presidential race features four presidential candidates, namely incumbent Hassan Rouhani, who is running for a second term, Seyyed Ebrahim Raeisi, former deputy judiciary chief, member of Iran’s Expediency Council Mostafa Aqa-Mirsalim and former vice president, Mostafa Hashemi-Taba. However, Rouhani and Raeisi are viewed as the viable contenders after two candidates from a field of six, Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Vice President Is’haq Jahangiri, dropped out in the final days of campaigning. Rouhani has been campaigning on the platform of an active foreign policy meant to enhance international relations. Raeisi has also vowed a strong economic management towards the elimination of poverty and unemployment. The first vote was cast by an Iranian researcher at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand’s capital. The voting began in Wellington, as well as the country’s cities of Aukland, Christchurch and Dunedin at 09:30 a.m. local time (02:00 a.m. in Tehran, 2130 GMT). The Iranians based in the country were, therefore, the first ones to cast their ballots in the election. In line with the event’s timeframe, the lranians based in the Americas will be the last ones participating in the polls. Based on Iran’s election law, if no candidate manages to secure over 50 percent of the votes, a runoff will take place a week later. There are more than 56 million eligible voters in Iran. Weeks of heated campaigning came to an end on Thursday morning, 24 hours before the start of the elections. Ayatollah Khamenei has called on Iranians to turn out en masse, saying the nation and Islamic establishment are the true winners of the vote no matter which candidate emerges victorious. [This item is being updated.] II/III. http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/polls-open-iran-presidential-vote-atomic-deal-47504424 Polls open in first Iran presidential vote since atomic deal By ADAM SCHRECK AND AMIR VAHDAT, ASSOCIATED PRESS TEHRAN, Iran — May 19, 2017, 12:19 AM ET In this photo taken on Wednesday, May 17, 2017, supporters of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani hold posters with his image, during a street campaign ahead the May 19 presidential election in downtown Tehran, Iran. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani staked his political future on opening Iran ever so slightly to the outside world and overcoming hard-liners' opposition to secure a historic nuclear deal in exchange for relief from crippling sanctions. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) Iranians began voting Friday in the country's first presidential election since its nuclear deal with world powers, as incumbent Hassan Rouhani faced a staunch challenge from a hard-line opponent over his outreach to the wider world. The election is largely viewed as a referendum on the 68-year-old cleric's more moderate policies, which paved the way for the nuclear accord despite opposition from hard-liners. Economic issues also will be on the minds of Iran's over 56 million eligible voters as they head to more than 63,000 polling places across the country. The average Iranian has yet to see the benefits of the deal, which saw Iran limit its contested nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of some sanctions. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the most powerful man in Iran, symbolically cast the election's first vote and called on Iranians to turn out in huge numbers for the poll. "Elections are very important and the fate of the country is in the hands of all people," he said. In the election, Rouhani has history on his side. No incumbent president has failed to win re-election since 1981, when Khamenei became president himself. That doesn't mean it will be easy, however. Rouhani faces three challengers, the strongest among them hard-line cleric Ebrahim Raisi, 56. Raisi, a law professor and former prosecutor who heads an influential religious charitable foundation with vast business holdings, is seen by many as close to Khamenei. Raisi has even been discussed as a possible successor to him, though Khamenei has stopped short of endorsing anyone. Raisi won the support of two major clerical bodies and promised to boost welfare payments to the poor. His populist posture, anti-corruption rhetoric and get-tough reputation — bolstered by his alleged role condemning inmates to death during Iran's 1988 mass execution of thousands of political prisoners — are likely to energize conservative rural and working-class voters. Mostafa Hashemitaba, a pro-reform figure who previously ran for president in 2001, and Mostafa Mirsalim, a former culture minister, also remain in the race. The race has heated emotions and pushed public discourse in Iran into areas typically untouched in the tightly controlled state media. That includes Rouhani openly criticizing hard-liners and Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard, a paramilitary force now involved in the war in Syria and the fight against Islamic State militants in neighboring Iraq. Rouhani also found himself surrounded by angry coal miners who beat and threw rocks at his armored SUV during a visit to a northern mine struck by an explosion earlier this month that killed at least 42 people. But authorities worry about tempers rising too high, especially after the 2009 disputed re-election of former hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that saw unrest, mass arrests and killings. Authorities barred Ahmadinejad from running in Friday's election, and Khamenei days ago warned anyone fomenting unrest "will definitely be slapped in the face." That hasn't stopped those at Rouhani rallies from shouting for the house-arrested leaders of the 2009's Green Movement. Opposition websites have said Green Movement leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mahdi Karroubi both have endorsed Rouhani against Raisi. Rouhani promised in his 2013 campaign to free the men, but that pledge so far remains unfulfilled. Mohammad Khatami, another reformist who served as Iran's president from 1997 to 2005, also has endorsed Rouhani. Voting is scheduled to run until 6 p.m., though Iran routinely extends voting for several hours in elections. Iranian authorities say they believe the vote will exceed a 70 percent turnout. ——— Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report. III. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/may/16/iran-presidential-elections-everything-you-need-to-know Iran presidential elections: everything you need to know As voters prepare to go to the polls this week, we look at the two frontrunners and examine what is at stake for the country An image of Iran’s current president, Hassan Rouhani, looms over cheering supporters at a rally in Tehran. Photograph: Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA Saeed Kamali Dehghan Iran correspondent Tuesday 16 May 2017 07.30 BST What’s the story and why is it important? Iran goes to the polls on 19 May in the country’s first presidential elections since the landmark nuclear agreement in 2015, when Tehran agreed to roll back its nuclear programme in exchange for the removal of sanctions. The fate of that deal has been thrown in doubt since Donald Trump took the helm at the White House, but despite his increasingly belligerent rhetoric, the US president has so far not taken any serious steps to scrap the accord. Iran’s relationship with the international community is at stake. The incumbent president, Hassan Rouhani, brought Iran in from the cold, even holding direct talks with the US under Barack Obama, something that was a taboo for more than three decades. The trajectory of Iran’s foreign policy changed dramatically under Rouhani, a moderate cleric, but that approach could shift under a new president. Internally, a Rouhani defeat would deal a blow to the country’s reformists and bring hardliners back in power. The election comes at a critical time in Iran: in recent years, particularly since 2014 when the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, underwent prostate surgery, speculation about his potential successor has grown. Khamenei has the final say in all state matters in Iran, but in the event of his death the president can play a crucial role in the appointment of the next leader, even though it is not up to him to choose one. Khamenei was president in the 1980s when Ayatollah Khomeini, the then supreme leader and the man behind the 1979 Islamic revolution, died. He was then promoted by the council of experts, the body in charge of choosing Iran’s supreme leaders, to succeed Khomeini. Iran presidential elections: Tehran mayor drops out to back hardliner Read more Rouhani’s main challenger, the hardliner Ebrahim Raisi, is believed to have bigger ambitions than just the presidency. Over the past year, he has been touted as a frontrunner to succeed Khamenei. While it is true that Khamenei’s authority surpasses that of the president as long as he is alive, a new president could significantly change the political landscape at home. What are the issues? Resolving the stalemate over the country’s nuclear programme was Rouhani’s main campaign promise in the 2013 elections – and on this metric he has succeeded. But the elections are also seen as a referendum on how he has performed economically under the terms of the nuclear agreement. Rouhani has stabilised the Iranian economy and brought down inflation but unemployment is high and his opponents have questioned whether his administration has done enough to bring tangible economic benefits. Raisi has portrayed himself as the candidate of the poor and is running a campaign focused on economic priorities, called “work and dignity”. Shoppers in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar Facebook Twitter Pinterest Shoppers in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar. The country’s economy is a major focus of the election. Photograph: Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images How does the electoral system work? Almost any adult of Iranian origin and with Iranian nationality can take his or her identity card, a few passport-sized photos and the necessary documents to the interior ministry in Tehran’s Fatemi Street to register as a candidate. But not everyone is allowed to take part. The guardian council, a powerful body of six clergymen and six jurists, vets each candidacy. Political competence and loyalty to the fundamental principles of the Islamic republic and its religion are among the main issues considered by the council. Analysis Hassan Rouhani's attacks on rivals for president cross Iran's red lines Moderate hits out at conservative challengers Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Ebrahim Raisi as well as Revolutionary Guard Read more This year, out of more than 1,600 who applied to run, only six candidates were accepted. More than 100 women also registered, but none made it past the vetting process. Apart from Rouhani, the five remaining candidates were Eshaq Jahangiri, who is Rouhani’s first vice-president, the Tehran mayor, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Raisi, and the relatively low-profile politicians Mostafa Agha Mirsalim and Mostafa Hashemi-Taba. Among those barred from running was the former hardline president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Ghalibaf dropped out in favour of Raisi on Monday. Jahangiri also stepped aside in favour of Rouhani as expected on Tuesday – he was running mainly with the aim of defending the performance of his boss during TV debates and in campaign rallies. The campaign period, which started in late April following the announcement of the list of approved candidates by the guardian council, will continue until this Wednesday before the election on Friday. If an overall majority is not achieved in the first round, the two candidates with the most votes will compete in a runoff. Elections are held and results announced under the supervision of an administrative council in the interior ministry. The voting age is 18, and an estimated 55 million Iranians are eligible to vote. Who are the two favourites? Hassan Rouhani, 68, the reformist-backed moderate incumbent, is a former chief Iranian nuclear negotiator who served as the secretary of Iran’s supreme national security council for 16 years. Under the former president, Mohammad Khatami, Rouhani was responsible for negotiating with the west over Tehran’s nuclear dossier. Under Rouhani, Iran halted its enrichment of uranium and showed more cooperation with the inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency. For many years, Rouhani was a close ally of Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the relative reformer who died in January. Rouhani is most often described as a moderate rather than a reformist. But he is also a senior cleric with impeccable revolutionary credentials who has been an adviser to the supreme leader, Khamenei, and held highly sensitive posts in parliament and the establishment. Born in 1948 in Sorkheh, a small town in Semnan province, Rouhani was the eldest of five children in what he called a “religious and revolutionary” family who lived in a modest home surrounded by vines and pomegranates. His father owned a grocery. His mother, Sakineh, remembers him as a calm boy who excelled at school, read the Qur’an and enjoyed swimming and climbing. Hassan Rouhani speaking at an election rally in Tehran Facebook Twitter Pinterest Hassan Rouhani speaking at an election rally in Tehran. Photograph: Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA He was educated in Qom, the Canterbury of the Shia Muslim world, and changed his family name – which originally was Feridoun – as a security measure to avoid the attention of the Savak secret police when preaching against theShah (Rouhani means cleric in Persian). Unusually for a cleric before the revolution, he studied law at Tehran University. In the 1990s, he was awarded a PhD by Glasgow Caledonian University for a thesis on the flexibility of sharia law with reference to the Iranian experience. Rouhani spent time in Paris with the exiled Ayatollah Khomeini and Rafsanjani and entered parliament after the revolution. During the war with Iraq in the 1980s, he commanded national air defence. In 1986, as deputy speaker in parliament, he took part in secret talks with US officials as part of what became known as the Iran-Contra arms-for-hostages affair. In 1989, the year Khomeini died and Rafsanjani became president, he was appointed secretary of the supreme national security council. In 2003, with the region in turmoil after the US invasion of Iraq, he became Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator, agreeing voluntarily in talks with the EU3 – Britain, France and Germany – to suspend uranium enrichment temporarily. Ebrahim Raisi, 56, is allied with Iran’s conservatives. He is custodian of Astan Quds Razavi, the wealthiest charity in the Muslim world and the organisation in charge of Iran’s holiest shrine, Imam Reza, in Mashhad in eastern Iran. Over the past year, Raisi has been touted as a frontrunner to become Khamenei’s successor. Some analysts suggest he is being groomed for a possible succession and a win in the presidential elections would pave the way for him. A defeat could scupper his chances of succeeding Khamenei. Hardliner Ebrahim Raisi Facebook Twitter Pinterest Hardliner Ebrahim Raisi, Rouhani’s main challenger, is believed to have bigger ambitions than the presidency. Photograph: Majid Saeedi/Getty Images He wears a black turban, indicating he is a seyed – a direct descendant of the prophet Muhammad, in Shia Islam. Raisi had barely reached adulthood by the 1979 Islamic revolution, but rose quickly through the ranks. In the summer of 1988, he was one of the four sharia judges behind the mass execution of leftists and dissidents. More recently he was Iran’s prosecutor general and still holds an important division within the judiciary as the head of the court that prosecutes troublemaking clerics. He is married to the daughter of a hardline ayatollah who is the representative of Khamenei in the eastern province of Khorasan-Razavi, home to the Imam Reza shrine. -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
