Forum Views () 
Forum Replies ()  
 
 
Read more with google mobile :
Iran leader approves Ahmadinejad's second term  
 
 
Yahoo!
My Yahoo!
Mail
Yahoo! Search
Search:
Sign InNew User? Sign Up
News Home -
Help
  
 
  
Navigation
Primary Navigation
 
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Top Stories
Most Popular
Secondary Navigation
 
Africa
Europe
Latin America
Middle East
North America
 
Search
 
 
Search:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Iran leader approves Ahmadinejad's second term
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Reuters - Tuesday, August  4
By Parisa Hafezi
ADVERTISEMENT
 
 
 
 
  
TEHRAN - Iran's Supreme Leader endorsed the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in a ceremony boycotted by leading moderates in protest at a disputed poll that plunged Iran into its worst crisis since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Two former presidents, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Mohammad Khatami, who backed defeated candidate Mirhossein Mousavi, did not attend Monday's ceremony although they had been present at such events in the past, Iranian media reported.
"I am endorsing the presidency of this brave, hard-working and wise man as the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran," Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said, in praise of Ahmadinejad who will be sworn in by parliament on Wednesday.
Witnesses said dozens of riot police and Basij militia assembled at a central Tehran Square after the ceremony to prevent pro-Mousavi supporters from attending a planned protest at 2:30 p.m. British time. The gathering was announced by moderate websites.
Other leading moderate figures joined Rajsanfani, who has declared the country in crisis, and Khatami in missing the formal endorsement.
Ahmadinejad's victory to a second term led reformists and moderate candidates Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi to accuse the government of electoral fraud, caused violent protests and exposed deep schisms within Iran's clerical and political elite.
The president now faces the difficult task of assembling a cabinet which is acceptable to the mostly conservative parliament, which may object if he just picks members of his inner circle. Parliament has in the past rejected some of Ahmadinejad's cabinet choices.
The Supreme Leader endorsed the June 12 election result and demanded an end to the protests at which more than 20 people have been killed, but in a challenge to his authority Mousavi and Karoubi said the next government would be illegitimate.
At the ceremony Khamenei criticised Ahmadinejad's opponents, saying "some elites failed the election," state television said.
The president told rivals on Friday that trying to split him from Khamenei was futile because they were like father and son.
Iranian officials have denied any fraud in the election, in which Ahmadinejad was declared to have won 63 percent of 40 million votes cast against 34 percent for Mousavi, in the face of persistent objections by moderates and reformers.
Senior members of Iran's influential Shi'ite clerical establishment have expressed misgivings in the aftermath of the poll in the world's fifth biggest oil exporter which is locked in dispute with the West over its nuclear programme.
ROUGH RIDE
Without Khamenei's support, Ahmadinejad's choice of cabinet could run into trouble as a number of lawmakers have been critical of Ahmadinejad's decisions since the vote.
His appointment as vice-president of a man mistrusted by hardliners for remarks on Israel and for hosting an event they deemed un-Islamic prompted a veto from Khamenei last month.
Ahmadinejad veered close to defying the supreme leader by delaying a week before obeying his order and then naming the same man, Esfendiar Rahim-Mashaie, as his chief of staff.
He also sacked his hardline intelligence minister, who had criticised his actions, while his culture minister resigned.
The power struggle can only hamper the leadership's ability to tackle the Islamic Republic's economic problems, as well as the row over the nuclear programme, which Iran says is for energy, but which the West suspects is aimed at bomb-making.
Another potential source of friction with the United States arose on Saturday when Iran arrested three American hikers who an Iraqi Kurdish official said had strayed across the border.
Adding to tense relations with the West, Tehran has accused Western powers of fuelling post-election unrest, particularly the United States and Britain which deny the charges.
"The enemies should not think that they can bring the Islamic republic to its knees by such small deeds," Khamenei said at the official ceremony, adding:
"They should face up to the facts in Iran."
Ahmadinejad renewed his attack on the West, saying some Western countries had been "selfish and meddlesome" over the election and called on them to correct their "brutal" approach.
"Then they might find a way to the Iranian nation's circle of friendship ... We would never tolerate dishonesty, selfishness and discourtesy," he said at the ceremony.
In an apparent effort to deter further street protests, Iran on Saturday put 100 protesters, including senior moderate figures, on trial. They face a range of charges, including acting against national security, which is punishable by death.
Rights groups say hundreds of people, including senior pro-reform politicians, journalists and lawyers, have been detained since the election. The mass trial has no precedent in revolutionary Iran's 30-year history and resumes on Thursday.
Leading reformers, including Khatami, have rejected what they say is a show trial and accused the government of extracting confessions from some defendants under duress, adding the trials violated the constitution.
Many of the defendants spent weeks in jail without access to lawyers, Mousavi said on Sunday. He said the trial was "an awkward preparation" for the start of Ahmadinejad's new term.
Even some hardliners have criticised the trial and the official portrayal of the protesters as people determined to overthrow Iran's system of government.
 
 
 
Email Story
IM Story
Printable View
Blog This
 
 
     
Sign in to recommend this article »
0 users recommend
 
Related Articles: World
Canada extradites arms dealer to GermanyAFP - Monday, August  3
Obama walks Russia-Georgia tightropeAFP - Monday, August  3
Afghan city bombing kills 12: policeAFP - Monday, August  3
UK-World SummaryReuters - Tuesday, August  4
Zelaya supporters eye new Honduras protestsAFP - Tuesday, August  4
 
 
 
 
Most Popular – World
 
 
 
 
 
 Viewed
 
 
 
 
End of US economic crisis 'getting very close'
 
 
Organic food not healthier, says British study
 
 
China's Cosplay craze blurs fantasy and reality
 
 
Swine flu: rich nations' spending spurs ethics row
 
 
Madonna writes of her spiritual awakening
 
 
View Complete List »
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Search:
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Top Stories
Most Popular
Copyright © 2009 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy 
- Terms of Service 
- Community 
- Intellectual Property Rights Policy 
- Help
        
    
   
 
Other News on Tuesday,  4 August 2009 New NATO chief to focus on Afghanistan, Russia ties  
Extradited arms dealer may get 15 years: prosecutor  
US manufacturing nears return to growth: ISM  
Merkel's rival starts campaign with jobs pledge  
Iraq's Maliki promises Kurdish gas victims justice  
Analysts divided over dismal German retail sales  
Iran leader approves Ahmadinejad's second term  
Afghanistan must not revert to terror hub: NATO chief  
Israeli foreign minister to resign if charged  
6.9-magnitude quake hits Baja California: USGS
| International
|  
Iran leader approves Ahmadinejad presidency  
Chavez supporters attack opposition TV station
| International
|  
Iran's leader to approve Ahmadinejad's presidency  
Somali pirates free German, Malaysian vessels
| International
|  
Pakistan Christian schools strike after killings  
Somali pirates release Malaysian ship, 11 crew  
Pakistani Christians shutter schools over killings  
FTC to continue Apple-Google board investigation
| Technology
|  
Malaysia court charges 29 over mass protest  
Flintoff eyes more Ashes glory at Edgbaston  
Aussie radio show pulled after live teen rape claim  
Student attacks won't harm relations: minister  
Turbulence slams Continental jet, at least 26 hurt  
Hacker hits Dutch websites with anti-Wilders slogans
| Technology
|  
Magsaysay Awards, Asian version of Nobels, awarded  
Report: California must adapt to changing climate  
Ethiopia jails Canadian ONLF rebel for life  
Israel police bust fraud ring with alleged US ties  
New GI Bill tops Obama's agenda  
New mother becomes Malaysia's 7th swine flu death  
The Nation's weather  
Deliberations to continue in Jefferson's trial  
IMF says S.Korea should maintain easy policy until '10-paper  
GM China July sales up 77.7%: company  
Suzuki Motor profit plunges 91.8 percent in Q1  
China's Brilliance reveals Daimler talks  
Court OKs custody of Jackson's kids to mom
| Entertainment
|  
Panasonic reports loss on slump, price falls  
Kara DioGuardi returns to Idol, no word on Paula
| Entertainment
|  
SKorean police step up siege of troubled car plant  
Newly discovered Mozart works played in Austria
| Entertainment
|  
Seoul shares end firm helped by auto, tire issues =2  
Daihatsu Q1 profit falls 69.4 percent  
Panasonic reports $558 million quarterly loss  
2nd murder trial starts for rapper C-Murder  
PBS chief welcomes public TV funding under Obama  
'Burn the Floor' brings ballroom dancing to B'way  
Google CEO Schmidt quits Apple board  
Afghans confuse democracy with fornication  
Russia replaces missile forces chief: Kremlin  
China Internet addict beaten to death in rehab  
Bill Clinton makes surprise visit to North Korea
| International
|  
Treatment resistant swine flu detected in US  
Japanese electioneering tiptoes into Internet age  
Shiite group agrees to renounce violence in Iraq  
EBay's PayPal shut globally for an hour  
Taliban rockets land near embassies in Afghan capital
| International
|  
Scientists find malaria jumped from chimps to humans  
Arab leaders put onus on Israel during U.S. visits  
Google woos IT managers with old-tech billboards  
Tamiflu-resistant swine flu found on US-Mexico border  
Iran president confirmed but sealed without a kiss  
Google CEO Schmidt quits Apple board amid scrutiny  
'Cash for Clunkers' drives up US auto sales  
Iran leader endorses Ahmadinejad but rivals absent  
Australia detains 4 for plotting suicide attack
| International
|  
Iran leader approves Ahmadinejad presidency  
Wall Street rally pushes S&P above 1,000  
Japan eyes e-politics as political rivalry grows  
BoA to pay 33 mln dlrs to settle Merrill accusations  
NATO chief makes Afghanistan, Russia ties key goals  
Jackson mother granted custody of children  
Microsoft's Bing gains another 1 pct of US search  
More than 160 killed in South Sudan tribal raid  
Fatah congress to keep armed struggle option
| International
|  
Netanyahu wins key parliament votes  
Cyborg-walkers stride toward Japan's robotics future  
Lawmakers want inquiry into UK complicity in torture
| International
|  
Missing Alaska cruise ship passenger identified  
NJ corrections officer kills 4-month-old son, self  
Deer kicks 4-year-old girl in face at Mass. zoo  
EBay's PayPal shut globally for an hour
| Technology
|  
Minn. mother accused of starving disabled daughter  
US military deaths in Afghanistan region at 686  
Attys: Jackson's doctor 'loves' singer's children  
Clinton off to Africa to push stability, trade  
US military deaths in Iraq war at 4,330  
Wild! Ohio family visits 52 zoos in 52 weeks  
Pakistan c.bank buys back 23.5 bln rupees of T-bills  
China less prone to discriminate over HIV: survey  
NZ commodity export prices rise in July  
Sweet-scented suncream kicks up trademark stink  
Reports: SKorean police move against auto strikers  
Michael Douglas' son arrested for drugs: reports  
S.Korea buys dlrs to stem won's rise -traders  
Plane wreckage found in Indonesia: airline  
Search begins for missing Indonesian plane  
S.Korean bonds fall early, upbeat U.S. data weighs  
Rain hampers search for missing plane in Indonesia  
Korea Hot Stocks-Korea Zinc, carmakers, Samsung SDI rise  
NZ labour market weak, rates low into 2010  
Seoul shares open firm helped by autos, techs  
'Crouching Tiger' star to try romantic comedy  
Granite quote in WA park sparks Cobain controversy  
Michael Jackson's mom gets custody
| Entertainment
|  
Michael Douglas' son arrested for drugs: reports  
Michael Douglas' son arrested for drugs: reports
| Entertainment
|  
Despite drama, Jackson's mother wins kids' custody  
Reality stars Jon & Kate back on air after split
| Entertainment
|  
Gosselins are newly split as 'Jon & Kate' returns  
CBS hopes wardrobe fix will restore CSI ratings
| Entertainment
|  
Nintendo DSi users get to share pictures on Facebook  
CBS says no plans to change focus on scripted shows
| Entertainment
|  
Carla Gugino lands "Sucker Punch"  
CBS says no plans to change focus on scripted shows  
Roger Daltrey plots rare North American solo tour
| Entertainment
|  
Michael Jackson's mom gets custody  
Jarvis Cocker writing songs for comedy  
Rather sues to return CBS execs to $70 million suit
| Entertainment
|  
Carla Gugino lands Sucker Punch
| Entertainment
|  
Tourist traps Theron, Worthington
| Entertainment
|  
BMW returns to profit in second quarter  
Intel boosts Facebook users power for research  
Iran says 3 Americans arrested for illegal entry  
Swedish crackdown on piracy pays off  
Protesters back Sudanese woman in trousers case  
Detained Americans being questioned in Iran  
UBS posts four-fold increase in quarterly loss  
Abbas says "resistance" still an option  
Iranian moderate vows to keep pressure on president
| International
|  
Taliban rocket attack on Afghan capital, two hurt  
Lebanon's Hariri takes time out after ally quits
| International
|  
Pakistan suspects Al Qaeda allies killed Christians
| International
|  
China says it holds 718 in Xinjiang over July riots
| International
|  
Scarred South Ossetia penniless, shaky year after war
| International
|  
WITNESS: Fleeing the Islamic sect that lived in our midst
| International
|  
Swedish crackdown on piracy pays off  
U.S. chides Kenya for inaction on post-poll chaos
| International
|  
Bangladesh launches village court system with UNDP  
LaHood calls summit on distracted driving  
17 killed in building collapse in northern China  
Afghan kids in NC for care set aside differences  
Australia police foil suicide attack on army base  
7 North Carolina terror suspects due in court  
Macau casino mogul Stanley Ho hospitalized  
With milk prices low, more Vermont dairies close  
Bill Clinton meets Kim Jong-il  
Sexting craze on the rise among British children
| Technology
|  
Diplomats pressing Iran for word on 3 Americans  
Vietnam says booting Buddhist monks not repression  
Democrats trying for GOP support for clunker funds  
Plane hits control tower at Thai airport, 1 killed  
Analysis: Obama struggling to keep no-tax pledge  
Police: Dad fatally shoots daughter, foster dad  
Pakistan army says Taliban training boys to fight  
Australia keeps rates at 3%, more cuts unlikely  
Senate opens debate on Sotomayor for Supreme Court  
China disinfects town where plague killed 3rd man  
Post office looks at changing hundreds of offices  
Taiwan says insurer Kuo Hua Life taken over  
Pakistan rupee to slump on fuel oil needs-analysts  
Nissan-Renault signs electric car deal in Victoria  
DEALTALK-S.Korea banks embrace securitisation; costs weigh  
Reports: Macau casino mogul Ho in hospital  
Mining group Xstrata announces profit slump  
Toyota upgrades outlook after Q1 loss  
Costner wants to help Canada festival victims  
Global recession hitting Pacific hard, report says  
In Bollywood, 'mummy-ji' no longer knows best  
Seoul shares end up fueled by foreign buying =2  
Reality stars Jon & Kate back on air after split  
Global trade revival key to recovery: WTO chief  
Sources: Michael Douglas' son in NYC drug arrest  
Rather sues to return CBS execs to $70 million suit
| Entertainment
|  
Jessica Simpson's Says Her Underwear "Sets the Tone" For Her Day  
Penn Town Police Hunt Naked Burglar  
"Iron Man" Star Robert Downey Jr. Wants His Own Superhero Costume  
Model-Turned-Actress Milla Jovovich Reveals She Collects Weapons  
Nick Cannon Says God Will Punish Eminem For Insulting Wife Mariah Carey  
Jordanian Fatwa Bans 'Virginity Checks'  
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro  
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found  
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever  
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production  
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time  
AMD to Start Production of piledriver  
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs  
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia  
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air  
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch  
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent  
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up  
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform  
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis  
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets  
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights