Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Mehr News: "Ahmadinejad calls for transparent and enthusiastic elections"

In the Islamic Republic, that is . . .
President Mahmud Ahmadinejad emphasized the need to hold legal, transparent, and enthusiastic elections, here on Tuesday.

In the Islamic Republic of Iran votes are really determining, Ahmadinejad said in a meeting with members of the nationwide election inspection board.

In certain states that claim to be democratic, crucial decisions are made in “factional hiding places” outside the people’s sight, he stated.

However, in Iran it is the decision and preference of the people that are realized and in fact people are the system’s strongest powerbase, he said, adding, “The power of the authorities emanates from people’s participation in the political arena.”

“The Islamic Republic is the only system in which every major official is elected through people’s direct vote with not any, or only one, mediator,” Ahmadinejad noted.

Neither the law nor the religion allows decision making on behalf of the people, and those responsible for holding the elections should be the people’s trustees, he observed.

The president urged the candidates to respect their rivals and to only publicize their qualifications while avoiding Western methods such as mudslinging and character assassination.
Meanwhile, according to Iran Focus:
Iran ranked among the world’s most corrupt countries in an annual report issued by an international corruption watchdog.

Transparency International listed Iran at 105th place out of 163 in its 2006 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), released Monday.

The theocratic regime scored 2.7 on the zero-to-10 scale, with zero indicating the highest level of perceived corruption.

Iran ranked at 88th place in Transparency International’s 2005 CPI.

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