Iran Voting in Overtime......

news.yahoo.com...

Turnout seems overwhelming in Iran today as they had to allow more time for those who came in such numbers to cast ballots......
This election is a crucial and very interesting unofficial poll of the over all Iranian temperament....

The numbers will reveal a small picture of the Iranian mood and aspirations at this juncture....

It seems to me that these people are more apt to be friends of the west than deadly enemies if given half a chance....
Perhaps they may be given the nod as the dominant culture after the Saudis are wrung dry....

A good result for a pro-Rouhani alliance with reformists called "The List of Hope" could help him curb conservative dominance in parliament and create an opening for domestic reforms.

But it was also a chance for the electorate to issue a rebuke, just one month after sanctions were lifted under a nuclear deal between the government and world powers, meaning the outcome will be seen as a de-facto referendum on the president.

edit on 26-2-2016 by bandersnatch because: (no reason given)

edit on 26-2-2016 by bandersnatch because: (no reason given)

news.yahoo.com...

At stake is control of the 290-seat parliament and the 88-member Assembly of Experts, the body that has the power to appoint and dismiss the supreme leader. Like the parliament, the assembly is in the hands of hardliners.

During its next eight-year term it could name the successor to Khamenei, who is 76 and has been in power since 1989.




news.yahoo.com...

edit on 26-2-2016 by bandersnatch because: (no reason given)

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran started counting tens of millions of votes on Saturday after hotly contested elections that could see reformists speed up Tehran's opening to the world or long-dominant hardliners reassert the Islamic Republic's traditional anti-Westernism.

The twinned elections for parliament and a leadership body called the Assembly of Experts are seen by some analysts as a potential turning point that could shape the future for the next generation, in a country where nearly 60 percent of the 80 million population is under 30.

edit on 26-2-2016 by bandersnatch because: (no reason given)

www.cbc.ca...

Iranians pushing for change in their country attended election rallies and cheered on their candidates this week in what resembled the boisterous and flag-waving campaigns that make up modern-day democracies.

But democracy in Iran, of course, is different. Iran might have elections, but the country is controlled by an all-powerful Supreme Leader, the Ayatollah, who's in charge of a system dominated by ultra-conservative, anti-Western hardliners who vigorously fight any attempt at reform.

edit on 26-2-2016 by bandersnatch because: (no reason given)

With 18 million under 30 im thinking its a perfectly starving consumer market for anything western and IN right now....perhaps even some older crazes haven't even hit there yet.......
Western countries should be having a business banquet over there for a year or two....

Despite disqualifying so many moderate candidates the hardliners are only slowing down the inevitable shift to the West that is coming in Iran. The population has been waiting for a very long time for Iran to return to world instead of being an international pariah. You have to wonder what the hardliners are going to do, if they can do anything.

a reply to: bandersnatch

The Iranian people are quite impressive.

They have been able to thrive throughout the pat 30 years and are now given the chance to spread their success.

In my lifetime I have never known them to be aggressive. They have always been on the defense and the propaganda machine has finally stopped working.

If it wasn't a hardline government I think it would be a charming place to tarry a while....
The fear of course being arrested for spying for the great satan.....
I bet the height of popularity would be to arrive in Tehran with a boatload of blue leans....

Er, this is Iran where candidates are approved by the Guardian Council, and the Supreme Leader's will over-rides all of this petty democratic farce. The theocratic regime trumps democracy at every step, which is why when the people think the result has been fixed quite a lot of them end up dead - like the last time.

originally posted by: MrSpad
Despite disqualifying so many moderate candidates the hardliners are only slowing down the inevitable shift to the West that is coming in Iran. The population has been waiting for a very long time for Iran to return to world instead of being an international pariah. You have to wonder what the hardliners are going to do, if they can do anything.

You cannot force beliefs or lack thereof on a population.

Communism showed us how much of an epic failure forced atheism is for example.

I think the Iranian spirit is strong enough to weather the storm......