Iran watchdog offers limited vote recount

Hurriyet Daily News with wires

refid:11881964 ilişkili resim dosyası

The announcement came after the biggest anti-government demonstrations since the Shah was deposed in 1979, and following reports on Iran's state radio earlier Tuesday that seven people were killed during clashes in the Iranian capital of Tehran the previous day. It was the first official confirmation of deaths linked to the wave of protests and street battles following last week's disputed election.  

The offer by the Guardian Council to do a targeted tally Ğ recounting ballots from specific voting sites where fraud has been alleged Ğ is the first direct action by authorities to address claims of irregularities made by opponents of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The move also offers further hints that the non-elected ruling clerics are seeking to calm the protesters’ anger and keep the dissent from spreading into their rarified world. It was not immediately clear when such a count could begin or how many voting sites would be included. The recount proposal also falls short of calls by reformist challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi to completely annul Friday’s vote, which he says was marred by fraud and robbed him of victory.

The Iranian opposition was planning a fourth day of demonstrations with a gathering in Tehran’s Valiasr Square, where Ahmadinejad’s supporters were also set to assemble. But former Prime Minister Mousavi urged his supporters not to turn up for the planned rallies amid fears of new violence. As many as seven people were killed and 25 injured Monday when security forces fired on protesters.

Also on Tuesday, U.S. President Barack Obama said the world is inspired by the outpouring of political dissent in Iran. He said late Monday that an inquiry into the disputed presidential election should go ahead without violence, adding that though he did not know who rightfully won the balloting, Iranians have the right to feel their votes mattered.

Ahmadinejad, meanwhile, arrived in Russia on Tuesday to attend a summit. At the event, the Iranian president said the U.S. and its allies are incapable of solving the global financial crisis, declaring, "The end of the era of empires is near."