Nation & World

<< Previous   of   Next >> (click to enlarge) A demonstrator holds a placard at a rally in Tehran, Iran, on Monday. (click to enlarge) Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (click to enlarge) Mir Hossein Mousavi   ADVERTISEMENT   Related Stories • At least seven die in Iranian protests 6/16/09   CONTACT THE HERALD Do you have a news tip? newstips@heraldnet.com | 425.339.3400   Published: Tuesday, June 16, 2009 Hard evidence of rigged Iranian election is lacking By Glenn Kessler and Jon Cohen The Washington Post WASHINGTON -- Millions of handwritten paper ballots were counted within hours. The challenger riding a surge of momentum and popular enthusiasm lost in a landslide. Other opposition candidates did poorly even in their home provinces. There are many signs of manipulation or outright fraud in Iran's disputed election results, according to pollsters and election experts, but the case for a rigged outcome is far from ironclad, making it difficult for the U. S. and other Western powers to denounce the results as unacceptable. There is also evidence that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the incumbent president deeply disliked in the West for his promotion of Iran's nuclear program and his anti-Israeli rhetoric, simply won a commanding victory. Some analysts have suggested that the attention given the protests and anger in Tehran -- where Western media outlets are concentrated -- gives a misleading picture of the Iranian electorate. The official results show that the leading challenger, former Prime Minister Mir Hossein Mousavi, was competitive in Tehran, losing by 52 percent to 46 percent, while trailing badly outside the capital. "You could get more of an impression of a horse race in Tehran," said Flynt Leverett of the New America Foundation, who said Ahmadinejad is a "really good campaigner" who blunted Mousavi's momentum in their final debate. "There are suspicious elements here, but there's no solid evidence of fraud," said Walter Mebane Jr., a University of Michigan professor of political science and statistics and an expert on detecting electoral fraud. There were few independent polls taken before the election and no exit polls afterward, making it extremely difficult to assess the accuracy of the vote counts announced by the government. "The results definitely look suspicious, but you need hard evidence to know the election was cooked," said Joe Lenski, co-founder and executive vice president of Edison Research. "We may never find hard evidence here." READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

1. Fire destroys Silver Lake landmark 2. Tree clearing, mud slide angers Everett neighbor 3. County tackles bikini barista rules 4. Six people injured in Machias car crash 5. Edmonds councilwoman dies at 59 6. Search for missing hiker called off 7. Later start for school day unlikely in Marysville 8. Extended tax credit should spur home sales 9. Hopes for Snohomish excursion train may hinge on railway purchase 10. Designing a new business 2 - Top 10 Stories Most Talked about 3 - Top 10 Stories Most Emailed

• Gough on track to keep job • Jazz vocalist headlines NPAC • Mountlake Terrace makes football history • Tax revenue sagging, city budgets lagging • ‘Touch of Magic' show opens at Gallery North • Jackson repeats as South champs • Holiday Bazaars Calendar • Meadowdale storms back to grab title • Edmonds moves to Fire District 1 • Boeing will build, flight test and deliver 787s in South Carolina to spe ... • Snohomish County EDC promoting job growth in key industry clusters • $4 million grant to advance brain tumor research has Everett links • Providence medical center construction tops off its 12-story steel frame ... • Tulalip affordable housing project to be financed by KeyBank, Raymond Ja ... • Arlington's Lak of Ink has a growing following for Luke Kooyman's creati ... • Bank of the Northwest formed • Cascade Bank earns $1.6 million