Iran: Recount Ordered After Rigging Allegations In Presidential Vote

"Election officials in Iran have ordered a random recount of 100 ballot boxes from the 17 June presidential vote after several reformist candidates alleged the vote had been rigged. One of the candidates, Mehdi Karrubi, who failed to advance to the second round of voting after finishing a narrow third, put his allegations in the form of an open letter to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and accused military officials of interfering in the vote. Three newspapers that reprinted Karrubi's letter were banned from publication today.

Prague, 20 June 2005 (RFE/RL) -- Iran's Guardians Council, the country's top electoral supervisory body, is allowing a recount of 40 randomly selected ballot boxes from the capital Tehran, and 20 boxes each from the cities of Qom, Isfahan, and Mashhad.

The decision comes following growing suspicion over ballot-fraud and vote-rigging allegations made by moderate cleric Mehdi Karrubi and other candidates.

In his letter to the supreme leader, Karrubi claimed the country's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps and Basiji forces used money for a vote-buying scheme. He also alleged the groups had campaigned illegally on behalf of one of the candidates, whom he doesn't name."
Radio Free Europe