Election Day- Behi Coverage

10:20 p.m: The election is extended till 11:00 p.m. This is always happens regardless the number of voters so make it look big. The national TV has started in a silly way, the propaganda against the "enemies of Iran". It is like kids play. They make it in a way that all the reporters if international media are respecting Iranian regime! This is very stupid. There is a very nasty discrimination as if if you vote it means you are endorsing all the bad things in the system and if you have some words against the system you should not vote. It is hard to be in the middle.

9:00 p.m: The time for vote is extended till 10 p.m and now the noise signal on satellite TVs are gone so I can also track other news channels. BBC Frances Harrison is reporting constantly from Tehran and he interviews a guy called Mr. Ghizilbash who is a political activist. I have never heard of him but he is indeed a fair observer of the election issues here. Bush recent speech made Iran leaders and TV to gain a clue to repeat the stupid slogans against the west. I do not mean he is wrong but will he please try not to support our people by any chance? update: see what Iranian Truth had to say about this.

5:00 p.m: We headed north towards Ershad cultural complex where most of the media coverage both from state television and foreign reporters are coming from. The place was really much more crowded than the one we voted in but still less than the amount you would expect from scenes of the TV. This is the line in front of men's entrance. My wife had the chance to spot Masih Alinejad (The brave parliamentary journalist who was forced out of the Parliament as she challenged some of the conservative MPs) talking to the famous CNN reporter Christiane Amanpour. Mrs. Behi told me later than Amanpour had a little clash with administrators in the voting site because she was asked not to do the interviews in English. How do they expect someone from CNN to do the interview maybe because they knew she is half-Iranian. I do not see any point of putting pressure on journalists like this but seems that the fellows wanted to know what was being said (Go and learn English you lazy goofs!).

4:30 p.m: We hired a taxi to get toward the northern parts of the city. The driver asked if we voted and when we affirmatively nodded, he showed his frustration and got angry. He said "I respect your decision but I do not think it can bring any change". "What will happen if we don't then?", we replied. He said "ok, but people are not important for the system and it is already decided that hashemi should  shall be president". So we shall let him down by our votes, I insisted.

4:00 p.m: Me and Mrs. Behi went to vote. We spotted a mosque near our place in a major square in Tehran city centre. There were not many people waiting in the line. Approx 20 and I could not really tell for whom they were about to vote apart from some young couples like us who had nothing to hide that they were voting for Mostafa Moeen. This is the vote my wife casted.

12:30 p.m: Internet connection is back.

12:05 p.m: I am still home. The national television is covering the election in the way it wants. We are experiencing Internet outage. I tried various different ISPs and they are all out. I called one of them and they told me that it is cut from the root by the telecommunications ministry. Outrageous! Surprise! PMC (Persian music channel) that is run from Dubai is among the few we can get when they impose noises on satellite TVs and it is now showing Hashemi's campaign movie. The kind of music they play is very prohibited by Iranian authorities so how shall I explain that. BBC world covers the election as one of the headlined and kind of suggesting that Hashemi will win which really disappoints me.

10:05 a.m: Just got up. Now browsing the Iranian blogs and the national TV. This IRIB is disgusting. They select people and ask crazy questions from them in voting site: "What is your feeling now?" and the guy says: "I am hitting a feast on America's nose!". They are very famous of telling what they think from the mouth of their supporters and call it people opinion. Since last night there has been a huge noise casting by the government on satellite TVs so the only channel I can get is the BBC world, the one that is broadcasting for India. There are many who are hopeful for Moeen to win. I hope the wise people of big cities win. From many of the bloggers there is a sign of hope but fear for fraud and misuse of armed forces. Will have a little breakfast and will go out as soon as I can to see what is out there. check back here.

Comments

[Abedolious]

I did vote! I did it with a hard grief in my heart. I heard the voice of leader, saying about my vote. I heard he buzzed about my vote. I heard that he wants to push me around. He wants to make me to not vote. But I did. I voted Moeen to show that I want to change him, to keep him away of my life.

[persiandissident]

Did you hear what HE said?
you voted for the constitution!
My heart broke when I heard what he said.

Polling stations seem to be all pretty much empty!
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Mr. Behi says: YES, he did. what else he can say. He said so eight years ago too.

[Ali M]

Khamenei called on people to vote. Those who are voting are simply answering the Leader's call no matter who they are voting for.

Don't you people understand that they need a high turn out to sell to the west the fact that they are representative of the Iranian People.

I am really disgusted by what I see. Maybe I should listen to those around me who say "why do you care, get on with your life". I am starting to thing that the Iranian deserve their plight.

Have a good IRI.
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Mr. Behi says: I voted for ideas. Those I feel close to mine. The situation is not perfect I admit but as you say I can not let stupids to represent my country. If we do not go, still the IRI will be there and will still sell itself to the west, this time with oil and gas tenders. The leader is calling for participation because he does not have any other choice. The conservatives are actually liking low turn out as they do not care to have a cabinet who represents the minority. see what they do in the parliment in the name of people although they are in fact minority. Change can not be made with no work. This is not logical. Human right moves in the west fought for so many years to establish. I am myself giving the reformists one more chance because can not let ano of the other candidates to win. If there was a non of the above choice, I would go for that.

[kl]

Who counts the vote? Can some cheating be done in counting votes (like it happens in many democratic countries) so that one candidate can be automatically declared winner?
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Mr. Behi says: The interior ministry officials and Guardian's council deputies are supposed to endorse the counting in each of the voting sites and send the results to the main headquarters in interior ministry. There are fears about influence of military officials who are supposed to provide security.

[Ali M]

Mr Behi,

Actually they do care about the turn out not for the people inside but the ones outside. They are holding their referendum. Those against the Islamic constitution called for the boycott (even some khodi like Ganji called for it) and the tenant of the Islamic constitution obviously called the people to participate.

Believe me if the turn out is high, it will take time for the democracy activists to overcome such terrible political defeat. We will be looked at as a minority.

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Mr. Behi says: I do not belive that if we boyott the election, if will make the democracy faster. In small cities, many people traditionaly vote so you will not get what you want and the islamic system will compromise in the result. Remember the last parlimentary election. That time we had good reason not to vote because many of the reformist candidates were taken out ny the Guardian's council but even with that low turn out, The parliment is now claiming that it represents people. So we do not vote for reformists who are at least close to majority of people (I mean just a little close) that means we are welcoming conservatives to win with their trasitional supporters who are the minority. Work needs spensing energy an this is a global rule. I admit boycott can work when you do something at the same time but waiting and looking. We loose. That is just a my personal belief. I respect your view.

[Ali M]

Mr Behi,
The simple fact that you talk about reformists and conservatives show that you accept their rules of the game. Don't you think that we should talk about insiders (khodi) and outsiders ?
I remember when I was a kid (and this is true for everyone), I wanted to play with the older kids and they wouldn't let me or if they were, I was merely the nokhodi, the one that did not count. I used to be the nokhodi until I got it, I stopped trying to play with them and instead I went to play with the kids my age.
This election is exactly the same, these election are in fact a game between insiders the outsiders voters are the nokhodi of the game simply because under the constitution their vote do no count. And this is normal in a theocracy where only God's vote counts.
Obviously the Iranians are not grown ups and need a little more IRI to achieve the political maturity needed to change the Regime.
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Mr.Behi: I agree that people are not counted and thus we need to go and get counted. We shall shout for our rights or forget about getting it. It was an adequate suggestion from the opposition that after boycott and low turn out, there is a good plan to get the system respect the people and make them counted, then I would proudly join that program. The current boycott only welcomes the army generals into the government and that is horrific

[Hiva]

I did not vote
I can not stand anyone as a leader or any other political men in this country abuse my vote. Consider it as an acceptance of his legitimation. The point is that I do not believe, they are against each other. I do not believe that we have two groups: reformists and conservatives. It is just a game. You know ,when among 1000 people who nominated for presidential office just 8 men with certain affiliation in this country, were confirmed shouldn’t we suspect to these 8 heroes?. Can I be so simple to believe that Moeen is different from the other 7 candidates. Can you really accept that this regime risk to confirm his enemy’s competence?
I think after 25 years, it is about time for Iranian stopped repeating their mistakes, it’s a long time that we convince ourselves to choose bad, between bad and worth. We repeatedly chose bad and wished for slightly better situation. Do anything substantially improve?????
So now I decide to change my way. I do not like violent or bloody methods so I just gently avoid taking part in election. I whished other had done the same but I know it is impossible…Anyway, I hope one day, we Iranian have this chance vote for one between several representatives of active political parties.