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Raisi Offends Iranian Government | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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FILE PHOTO: Iranian Presidential candidate Ebrahim Raisi (L) and Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf gesture during a campaign meeting at the Mosalla mosque in Tehran, Iran, May 16, 2017. TIMA via REUTERS


London- Ten days after the presidential elections, repercussions of the electoral campaigns still threaten of wider divisions in Tehran. On Monday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was offended by his rivals: defeated presidential candidate Ebrahim Raisi and head of Judiciary Sadeq Larijani.

In his first speech after losing the elections, Raisi said on Sunday that Rouhani’s government has committed huge violations through tampering the elections.

“I ask the Guardian Council and the judiciary not to let the people’s rights get trampled. If this vote-tampering is not looked into, then the people’s trust will be damaged,” said Raisi.

He lost the presidential competition for 16 million votes compared to 23 million votes to Rouhani.

Rouhani criticized last week the Guardian Council and the Ministry of Interior for not allowing four million Iranians to participate in the presidential elections, considering those who did not participate supporters of him.

Raisi, on the other hand, accused Rouhani of having inappropriately used TV, newspapers and government offices for campaign purposes throughout the five months, preceding the elections.

Official authorities in Iran describe the protests that took place in 2009 after the presidential elections as riot – protests spurred when the two reform candidates claimed that election results were forged for the advantage of Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad.

In his last speech before the voting, Rouhani accused Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) and the judiciary of interfering in the Iranian elections in favor of Raisi.

Iran’s Interior Ministry Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli slammed the doubts being raised about the election integrity and responded to Raisi that elections were “integral and legal”.

Investigation results are expected to be announced today by the Guardian Council on the electoral violations.