It has been a hotly contested election campaign that electrified voters and looks set to lead to record turnout. Iranians head to the polls on Friday to elect their president and while there are four official candidates it has essentially become a two-horse race between the hardline incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad and the more moderate conservative Mir Hossein Mousavi.
After weeks of election fever, including late-night demonstrations that turned into massive street parties, Iranians turned out in droves on Friday to cast their ballots. By mid-morning lines were growing at several polling stations in Tehran with at least 100 people waiting to vote. State television said the voting would be extended to 8 p.m. local time to accommodate the high turnout which is expected to hit over 70 percent.
On Friday, Mousavi complained that some of his representatives had been denied access to polling stations to monitor voting and he said that text messaging services on mobile phones had been disrupted -- a development confirmed by Iran's telecommunications ministry. The former prime minister is hoping for a strong turnout from young voters, many of whom boycotted the 2005 elections.
While Ahmedinejad portrays himself as the champion of the poor, particularly in rural areas, Mousavi has whipped up enormous support among young people and women hoping for an easing of the strict curbs to personal freedoms that have been exacerbated under the current president. However, the economy has also been a major issue, with Iran suffering from high unemployment and spiralling inflation.
"I am happy I could vote. I hope to defeat Ahmadinejad today," Mahnaz Mottaghi told the Associated Press as she waited to vote in central Tehran. At the same polling station Abbas Rezai said that he, his wife and his sister-in-law were all voting for Ahmadinejad. "We will have him as president for another term to be sure."
While the international community may be hoping to see the back of Ahmadinejad, who has repeatedly denied the Holocaust and threatened Israel, a new president is unlikely to see a complete change of heart in Tehran when it comes to its disputed nuclear ambitions.
Foreign policy, after all, is decided upon by the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who wields enormous control over every major decision. Iran has refused to halt uranium enrichment which it says it requires for a civilian nuclear energy program but the West suspects it wants to use to develop nuclear weapons.
German commentators on Friday welcome the election fervor but most point out that even if Mousavi triumphs, it won't necessarily herald in a new era when it comes to Iran's policies, particularly its disputed nuclear program.
The center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes:
"The opposition is not assured victory. The current president may be considered an aimless polemicist in the West. But in Iran he has a real chance of securing a second term. This election is not about the nuclear dispute or the public denial of the Holocaust. These issues are only decisive from a Western perspective. For Iranians the issues that matter most are the economy, society and everyday freedoms. ... And it is also about the direction in which society is heading. What form will the Islamic revolution take in the coming years?"
"Iran has the youngest electorate in the world. Its desire for progress could have a decisive impact on the election. However, none of the candidates are calling the 'Islamic system,' into question. It is deeply rooted in the entire society, despite all its shortcomings."
"If Mousavi, the candidate backed by the young and women, wins the race, however, then he could continue the policy of reform that was interrupted in 2005. He could pick up where the popular former President Mohammad Khatami left off: with the attempt to transform the revolutionary regime step by step into a system that sticks to the rules of international politics. And domestically, one that protects the freedoms that the majority of Iranians demand."
"This is where the election has meaning for the outside world: The international community can hold a dialogue with a reformer. Matters of dispute such as the nuclear program could be solved, to the advantage of both sides. That is unlikely to happen during a second Ahmadinejad term."
The left-leaning Die Tageszeitung writes:
"The Iranians who vote for Mousavi are hoping above all for an extension of the little freedoms that make everyday life more bearable. It is clear, however, that there will be no reforms that contradict the Islamic state doctrine."
"It is clear that many foreign politicians and experts are also hoping for (a Mousavi victory.) Yet anyone who wants to negotiate about the Iranian nuclear program or other issues of contention should only look to the president out of politeness. They should realize that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calls the shots. As Iran's supreme religious leader he is the president's boss. The republican institutions in Iran serve to balance the interests of the regime's various fractions. However, the basis of the political system is the late Aytollah Khomeini's doctrine. The 'Islamic Republic' is not just a flowery phrase."
"It would be gratifying if the future Iranian president were to dispense with denying the Holocaust. However, there is a danger that, just as during the reign of Khatami, a mild smiling president could give the impression abroad that that Iran has undergone a fundamental transformation. Many mullahs feel that Ahmadinejad's needless provocations have created unnecessary problems. However, ending the military nuclear problem is not up for debate."
The Financial Times Deutschland writes:
"What is happening in Iran in the run-up to the presidential elections is a small sensation. Thousands of people throng the streets, demanding rights and a change of president. In the packed campaign rallies, they cheer Mousavi. But this has less to do with him than with President Ahmadinejad, who they want to finally sweep out of office."
"The Iranian president has resisted every offer from the West that could have allowed him to yield in the dispute over the nuclear program without a huge loss of face. He torpedoed any suggestions for a solution with yet more demands."
"The problem with Iran, though, is that this is not just Ahmadinejad's policy. When it comes to questions of foreign policy such as the nuclear dispute, then it is the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who decides what direction to take. And his office is not up for popular election. The Revolutionary Guard has already threatened to nip any attempt at a 'velvet revolution' in the bud. Whoever wins from the already severely narrow field of candidates will have to stick to Khamenei's guidelines."
"Added to this is the fact that in this election the two political streams competing both belong to the conservative camp. Mousavi may be able to win over voters hoping for reform, but he belongs to the old elite."
"Nevertheless, the dawn of a new era cannot be praised enough. For every woman who is arrested for wearing her headscarf too loosely and for every gay man who has to fear for his life, this election could mean a huge change. When it comes to foreign policy, however, it would only mean a change of tone."
-- Siobhán Dowling, 12:45 p.m. CET
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