Chatham: Election results in Iran 'a myth'

LONDON, June 23 (UPI) -- The notion that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's victory can be attributed to a conservative slant in the provinces is unfounded, Chatham House says.

Ahmadinejad claimed victory in the June 12 presidential election within hours of the polls closing despite a required hand count of all the votes. His primary challenger, former Prime Minister Mir Hossein Mousavi, and other opposition leaders claim the vote was rigged.

Regardless of the outcome, several observers of the Iranian political environment claim Ahmadinejad is favored by many rural voters in the provinces of Iran, suggesting his re-election was likely despite the allegations of tampering.

Chatham House, the London non-profit policy center, says a review of the political climate in the countryside in 1997, 2001 and 2005 shows Ahmadinejad and other conservatives were viewed with disdain among the rural constituency.

"The claim that this year Ahmadinejad swept the board in more rural provinces flies in the face of these trends," the report says.

Chatham House also notes that Ahmadinejad would have had to turn all former centrists, all new voters and 44 percent of the reformists voters to validate the official results of the election.

"That the countryside always votes conservative is a myth," the report says.

The Guardian Council, the 12-member clerical body in Iran tasked with governing the elections, denies any widespread fraud in the elections.