1. In Tehran, Rafsanjani's scraping through into the mullahs' Majlis as the last man has aggravated the strife among the ruling factions and even within Khatami's own camp. The government-sponsored daily, Sobh-e Emrouz wrote on Sunday: "Most political activists and experts believe, on the basis of reliable documents and accounts, that if the vote count had been precise and free of rigging, the thirtieth and the thirty-first candidates in Tehran would have swapped their places. Thus, Hashemi Rafsanjani would have been among the eliminated candidates."
Another Tehran daily, Fat'h, wrote on Saturday: "If Rafsanjani is sent into the Majlis, even as the thirtieth person, the Islamic Republic will face a serious peril and a crisis of legitimacy. Moreover, Rafsanjani himself will not be reconstructed in this exercise. Indeed, both the state and Rafsanjani will receive fatal blows."
2. On Thursday, young people in the city of Takestan (western Iran), threw petrol bombs at a four-wheel-drive car belonging to Rajab Rahmani, the Majlis deputy from this area. The car was destroyed in this act of protest against the mullahs' election masquerade. Rahmani has retained his Majlis seat through widespread rigging and vote fixing.
3. The deputy governor of the city of Shabestar in northwestern Iran was arrested in the wake of huge rigging and cheating. The man, Ismail Mirzaii, is still being detained.
4. Mullah Gholamreza Hassani, the Friday prayers leader of Orumieh (northwest Iran) told his congregation on Friday: "There are 518,000 people who have the right to vote in this constituency, but less than 3,000 actually voted."
5. Hundreds of people demonstrated outside the governor's office in the city of Abadan to protest against electoral fraud and widespread rigging.
6. Mullah Javadi Amoli, the Friday prayers leader in Qom, acknowledged that there was a widespread boycott of the polls and, referring to Interior Minister Moussavi Lari's remarks, said in his Friday sermon: "Once they say 32 million people voted and then they say 27 million voted and 12 million who had the right to vote, did not do so. This must be investigated."
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
February 28, 2000
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