TEHRAN, June 22 (UPI) -- The 12-member Guardian Council in Iran acknowledged irregularities in the number of votes collected in 50 cities for the June 12 presidential vote.
Guardian Council spokesman Abbas-Ali Kadkhodaei discounted claims there were as many as 170 accounts of voting districts posting more than 100 percent turnout but acknowledged problems in 50 of those cities, Iranian state-funded broadcaster Press TV reports.
The spokesman said such irregularities were common as there are no limitations to where people voted. He added the outcome of the vote would remain unaffected.
Iran has witnessed some of its most violent demonstrations since the 1979 Islamic Revolution in the aftermath of the June 12 presidential vote. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed an overwhelming victory within hours of polls closing despite a mandated hand count of all ballots.
His closest rival, former Prime Minister Mir Hossein Mousavi, claimed he had won the vote hours before the polls closed.
Observers of the Iranian electoral system in the days before the June 12 contest pointed to past claims of "rented" birth certificates, ballot-tampering by the Basij paramilitary force and loose requirements at the polling stations.
Meanwhile, former President Mohammad Khatami, a moderate, called for an independent investigation into the disputed election and praised the bravery of the Iranian people.
"The protest by the Iranian people and their civil attitude in rallies showed their vigilance and responsibility," he said. "It also indicated the undeniable fact that the nation has inevitable rights which should be observed by any system."
