The shame of Iran (1)
The Shah of Iran was a brutal dictator whose secret police were outrageously cruel. But the Islamic Republic is failing to deliver the economic prosperity and political freedoms which so many Iranians desire.
The presidential election was an extraordinary event with vigorous campaigning, huge rallies and a dramatic television debate between the two main candidates. Officially the result was as follows:
Mahmoud Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: 62.6%
Mir Hossein Mousavi: 33.8%
Mohsen Rezai: 1.7%
Mehdi Karroubi 0.9%
Turnout: 85%
Source: Interior Ministry
However, it seems astonishing that the authorities could know the result only hours after the close of the polls and that Ahmadinejad could genuinely achieve such a decisive victory when the support for Mousavi was evidently so strong.
My next holiday – not till the Autumn – will be in Iran. Obviously I’m going there to view the superb Islamic architecture and archaeological sites, but I was hoping that I would find a new political environment – more open, more tolerant, more concerned with the economy, less hostile to the West.