According to Khamenai, a rig of votes is impossible under these circumstances because of the sheer number of votes that came between Ahmadinejad and Mousavi. I say that's the shittiest explanation I've ever heard.
Quote:
TEHRAN, Iran - Iran's supreme leader said Friday that Iran's disputed presidential vote had not been rigged, sternly warning protesters to halt massive demonstrations or be held responsible for creating chaos.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei sided with hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and offered no concessions to the opposition. He effectively closed any chance for a new vote by calling the June 12 election a "definitive victory."
The speech created a stark choice for opposition candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi and his supporters: drop their demands for a new vote or take to the streets again in blatant defiance of the man endowed with virtually limitless powers under Iran's constitution.
Pro-Mousavi Web sites had no immediate reaction to Khamenei’s warning and no announcement of any changes in a protest planned for 4 p.m. Saturday.
Khamenei blamed foreign media and Western countries of trying to create a political rift and stir up chaos in Iran.
"Some of our enemies in different parts of the world intended to depict this absolute victory, this definitive victory, as a doubtful victory," he said, according to an official translation on state TV's English-language channel. "It is your victory. They cannot manipulate it."
Khamenei said the 11 million votes that separated Ahmadinejad from his top opponent, Mousavi, was proof that fraud did not occur.
"If the difference was 100,000 or 200,000 or 1 million, one may say fraud could happen. But how can one rig 11 million votes?" Khamenei asked during Friday prayers at Tehran University.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei sided with hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and offered no concessions to the opposition. He effectively closed any chance for a new vote by calling the June 12 election a "definitive victory."
The speech created a stark choice for opposition candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi and his supporters: drop their demands for a new vote or take to the streets again in blatant defiance of the man endowed with virtually limitless powers under Iran's constitution.
Pro-Mousavi Web sites had no immediate reaction to Khamenei’s warning and no announcement of any changes in a protest planned for 4 p.m. Saturday.
Khamenei blamed foreign media and Western countries of trying to create a political rift and stir up chaos in Iran.
"Some of our enemies in different parts of the world intended to depict this absolute victory, this definitive victory, as a doubtful victory," he said, according to an official translation on state TV's English-language channel. "It is your victory. They cannot manipulate it."
Khamenei said the 11 million votes that separated Ahmadinejad from his top opponent, Mousavi, was proof that fraud did not occur.
"If the difference was 100,000 or 200,000 or 1 million, one may say fraud could happen. But how can one rig 11 million votes?" Khamenei asked during Friday prayers at Tehran University.
As to my response of the quote in bold, I say it's not anybody's victory until all the votes are taken into account. We've seen voting counts in areas where the population is smaller than the amount of votes it got. We've seen Mousavi's number jump backwards right on television. We've seen numerous people die in the uproar that this injustice has caused. We've also seen them partake in acts of kindness and peace, even to those who they are fighting against. But it's fairly clear to me that the reason the people in charge are so afraid of a recount/revote is because they know those numbers aren't right. The clerics and the supreme leader are just as terrified of democratic change as they are of honesty.
So yeah - ******** you, Khamenai. It's ON.
