Iran 'to hold election recount'

TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 2009

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Page last updated at 11:08 GMT, Tuesday, 16 June 2009 12:08 UK E-mail this to a friend

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by Nasra Ismail and Biodun Iginla, BBC News

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Supporters of Mir Hossein Mousavi defied a ban on protest rallies Iran's powerful Guardian Council says it is ready to recount disputed votes from Friday's presidential poll. President Mahmoud AhmadinejadMahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election is being contested by rival Mir Hossein Mousavi and other moderate candidates, who are seeking a rerun. The BBC's Jon Leyne in Tehran tells us that they may not accept the recount offer. Several people died in a protest on Monday and Mr Mousavi urged followers not to take part in a rally planned for Tuesday, amid fears of new violence. "This headquarters calls on people to avoid the trap of planned clashes," a Mousavi spokesman told AFP news agency. Foreign media have been banned from covering the protest and other "unauthorised events". It was due to have taken place in Tehran's Vali Asr Square at the same time as a demonstration there by supporters or President Ahmadinejad. See map of central Tehran The Guardian Council - Iran's top legislative body - said votes would be recounted in areas contested by the losing candidates.

VOTE RECOUNT Jon Leyne
Reporting from Tehran I hear from the Guardian Council that they are ready to recount those ballot boxes queried by the opposition. My understanding of that would be that the opposition can then just query every single ballot box, in effect launching a complete recount. I haven't seen the details of their statement yet, but they did say earlier that the election result was only provisional. They are the body that adjudicates on appeals against the election, and they seem - from what we have heard so far - to have launched a massive U-turn over this election result. Q&A: Latest from Tehran But a spokesman for the council told state television it would not annul the election - as moderate candidates have demanded. The opposition says millions of ballots may have gone astray. Monday's protest involved hundreds of thousands of people and was one of the largest since the Iranian revolution 30 years ago. The radio report said the attack occurred at the end of the "illegal" rally as people were heading home "peacefully". "Several thugs wanted to attack a military post and vandalise public property in the vicinity of Azadi Square," the radio said referring to the site of the protest. "Unfortunately seven people were killed and several others wounded in the incident." Dozens of opposition activists have been

arrested since the protests began. Those detained also include supporters of reform, including Mohammad AliMohammad Ali Abtahi, a close aide of ex-president Mohammad KhatamiMohammad Khatami. GUARDIAN COUNCIL Iran's most powerful body, currently controlled by conservatives Includes six theologians picked by Supreme Leader and six jurists approved by parliament Half the members change every three years Approves bills passed by parliament and can veto them if deemed inconsistent with the constitution or Islamic law The council can also bar candidates from standing in elections Q&A: who's who in Iran How Iran is ruled Mr Abtahi's wife told us at the BBC that he had been picked up at his home in Tehran early on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Iranian state television said the "main agents" behind the unrest had been detained, and guns and explosives seized. There are reports of fresh demonstrations at Tehran University - one of the main centres of tension in recent days. About 120 university lecturers have resigned. The powerful Speaker of parliament, Ali LarijaniAli Larijani, has condemned an attack by police and militia on a student dormitory. Iranian media quoted him as saying: "The interior minister is responsible in this regard." Unrest has been reported in other parts of Iran. One of Mr Mousavi's websites said a student had died on Monday in clashes with hardliners in the southern city of Shiraz. Foreign concern Our correspondent says the authorities appear to be weakening in their support for President Ahmadinejad. The BBC's Jon Leyne in Tehran: "The election result is up for grabs again" The country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali KhameneiAyatollah Ali Khamenei, has ordered an inquiry into the allegations of vote-rigging. The authorities' handling of the protests has drawn international criticism. EU foreign ministers expressed "serious concern" and called for an inquiry into the conduct of the election. US President Barack ObamaBarack Obama said he was "deeply troubled" by the violence in Iran. Meanwhile, President Ahmadinejad arrived in Russia on Tuesday. He told a regional summit that the "age of empires" had ended, but made no mention of the protests. Are you in Iran? What do you think of the current situation? If you have any information you would like to share with the BBC you can do so using the form below: Send your pictures and video to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to +44 7725 100 100. If you have a large file you can upload here. Read the terms and conditions At no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws. Name Your E-mail address Town & Country Phone number (optional): Comments POSTED BY BIODUNIGINLA AT 12:15 PM LABELS: BBC NEWS NASRA ISMAIL, IRAN ELECTIONS