Sunday June 10, 2001

Ref.: 123 / B / 193

The First Analysis of the Eighth Presidential Elections

The Association of Iranian Researchers with deep respect for the will of the people, those who participated by going to the ballot boxes and those who chose not to, would like to announce its first analysis of the votes based on the officials figures published by the Islamic Republic:

According to the final figures published by the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) from over 42 million people eligible to vote 28,159,289 (27,665,549 unspoiled votes) went to the ballot boxes and Mr. Khatami received 21,656,476 of the votes.

News agencies and foreign press alongside the Islamic Republic advertised the election results to read as about 80% in favour of Mr. Khatami.

Association of Iranian Researchers analysis based on the official Islamic Republic's statistics:

1. Based on the statistics published by the Islamic Republic about 42 million people were eligible to vote and Mr. Khatami received about 21 million of their votes. In other words 50% of the eligible voters either did not vote or chose not to vote for Mr. Khatami.
2. With great respect for the teenagers and young people who participated in the practice of democracy, it must be noted that half of the voters for Mr. Khatami were 15 or 16 and below the age of 20. (As a reminder in the countries with established democracy, voting age is 18)
3. There were 517,086 spoiled votes. Were they left blank? Were they against the Islamic Republic? Why were they considered 'spoiled'? What were the criteria?
4. The central and key question from the people of Iran, the Presidency, the Reformists, the Hard-liners and the Western supporters of the Islamic Republic regime must be: What were the twenty one million people who did not participate in voting or voting for Mr. Khatami want and what was their protest?

Let us not forget that the real answer to the issues and problems of the society must be based on the experience and awareness of the entire nation regardless of the fact that half of the eligible voters chose Mr. Khatami and the other half either as protest or apathy chose not to vote for him. This will be the necessary and crucial answer for today's generation and the future of Iran.