The hardliner Iranian President Mahmood Ahmedi Nejad has secured the top slot again by securing a convincing victory. Prior to the voting, it was argued that the election will be a nail biting, as Nejad faced tough competition from the reformist Musavi and co. But in the end, he secured the win with over 65% votes.
There was a lot of drama involved, as before the official result was announced, the opposition claimed that it has secured a land slide win, but the result turned around their claims entirely. The results were followed by large protests and claims that the results were made up, and the fact that opposition has secured the victory, but with the approval of Iran’s supreme spiritual leader, there is not much to be debated.
The election was seen as a fight between the traditional or conservative Iranians(led by Nejad) against the reformist. A record voter turn out was seen, and the polling time was increased in order to cope with the growing crowds. Nejad jumped into the lime light when he publicly stated that Israel, responsible for all the ills in the Middle East and the rest of the world, has no right to be on the face of the earth. His hard line and resolute stand against US and the West, both on Iran’s nuclear programme and its role in Iraq’s insurgency, won him great support. Under him, Iran has re asserted its influence in the region, with Iran’s active support to Hezbollah and other groups fighting the invading armies and Israel in general. He is also hailed for his visit to Saudi Kingdom, which paved the way for cooperation between the two big powers of the region.
From Pakistan prospective, Nejad played a key role in the finalization of IPI gas pipeline project without the inclusion of India, a project left pending for around 15 years. In his new term, it will be interesting how he responds to the friendly initiative taken by Obama toward Iran, though the start is not convincing as US has declined to accept the results.
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