Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has formally endorsed President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as a winner for his second term in office, state-run TV says, according to the CNN International.
Under Iran’s constitution, the incoming president must receive the supreme leader’s approval before being swore into office, the CNN International states, the supreme leader’s endorsement is the first step in that process.
Jon Leyne, Tehran correspondent at the BBC went on to say the real challenge to Mr Ahmadinejad after his swearing-in could be whether he can assemble to credible government that can be endorsed by parliament.
Mr Ahmadinejad will be sworn in as president on Wednesday 5 August in a ceremony to be held in parliament, and he will have two weeks to form a government which can be approved by parliament.
During the president’s endorsement ceremony on Monday, the sate-run media said leading opposition figures and two former presidents did not appear, according to the BBC.
Since the violent aftermath of the disputed election there has been open disagreement among figures in the Iranian political establishment.
In the wake of the June election, the supreme leader offered his backing to Mr Ahmadinejad at the height of the post-election protests.
However, senior and respected figures, including the two former presidents, Mohammad Khatami and Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, have publicly spoken out against the process, the BBC has learnt.
The latest news from the BBC states Hashme Rafsanjani appear to have snubbed the formal endorsement of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as presidents by the supreme leader Atatollah Ali Khamenei.
It is not only the two men were not at the endorsement ceremony, but also the opposition figurehead Mir-Hossein Mouasavi and another defeated presidential candidate, Mehdi Karroubi stayed away.
The BBC quoted Ayatollah Khamenei’s saying: “Iranian people have voted in favour of a fight against arrogance, to confront destitution and spread justice.”
Jon Leyne went on to say the process of formally installing Mr Ahmadinejad for his second term began despite growing criticism of the president from the opposition and from many conservatives.
The incumbent was declared the winner of 12 June election with almost two-thirds of the vote, the CNN International has learnt.
However, Mr Ahmadinejad was accused of cheating during the June election and allegations of fraud sparked protests.
Thousands of Iranians took to the streets in the largest mass demonstrations in Iran since the 1979 revolution, which brought about the current Islamic system of government, said the BBC.
According to the Guardian, a Canadian-based Iranian cartoonist Nikahang Kosar sums up the attitude of Iran’s opposition movement to the prospects of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad being sworn in as president.
His depiction of the disputed president as a puppet of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei shows that the whole regime is being held up to contempt and ridicule.
No comments:
Post a Comment