Conservatists Concede Defeat in Election

Even from the first hours of Saturday’s vote count, it was clear that Hassan Rowhani would at the least make it to the second round with a principlist rival. Contrary to the previous presidential election, this time voting results were not announced prematurely or earlier and principlist websites and news sites chose to reflect only the official news reports.

Tabnak website, for example, the mouthpiece of the followers of Mohsen Rezai was among the first principlist news sites which engages in a commentary over the results of the vote count and wrote under the headline, “The Principlists Defeat was Necessary,” “The principlist media, led by the state-run national radio and television network should understand that the era of media monopoly is over and that they cannot defeat people by ignoring some of them or their candidates.”

Tabnak stressed that people voted No to the principlists, because more than anything else, they want a better life. The website then wrote that this defeat for the principlists was similar to the defeat that reformists suffered in 2005. “It is now time to apologize to people for distancing from their demands,” it wrote.

Reports of Public Celebrations

Fars news agency which until the day of election presented Hassan Rowhani as the candidate of the reformists refrained from attaching any political affiliations to him on Saturday and did not publish a biography or his political affiliates or the reformists or Hashemi Rafsanjani. It is noteworthy that while Fars did present a report and images of people after Rowhani’s electoral victory but absent were any of his slogans or the many symbols of the Green Movement that were present in public celebrations.

Ayatollah Abbas Kaabi, a member of the State Expediency Council was quoted by Fars to have said, “The sedition of 2009 was sent to the graveyard of history with this public participation and their vote in 2013. All those who said that people have distanced themselves because of electoral fraud witnessed how difference tastes were present and people participated and showed their full trust [in the regime].”

Tasnim news agency affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards limited its coverage to official news issued by the ministry of interior and the messages from the supreme leader and those of the candidates.

Speaking to the news agency, Mehdi Taeb, the Guards commander for the Ammar military base portrayed Rowhani’s victory to be people’s response to the calls of the supreme leader and said, “Some enemies wanted to give the impression that people have gradually become disappointed with the Islamic republic, but their grand participation in the election destroyed their lies.”

Mehr news agency affiliated with the Islamic Propagation Organization which had clearly sided with Ghalibaf’s presidential bid was more vocal in its interviews with principlists. It spoke with Ahmad Tavakoli, the principlist Majlis representative and critic of Ahmadinejad and said, “This election is the beginning of a new period to repair the damages caused during the last 8 years.”

Mohammad-Reza Bahonar, the vice-speaker of the Majlis is also quoted to have said, “We must be careful to note that this epic is not to be translated as public satisfaction with the state of the country, but that this epic is to defend the regime and respond to the call of the supreme leader.”

Mehr did not report on the public celebrations, the exchanges of flowers and sweets.

Principlist Web-bloggers Expressly Concede Defeat

Masoud Dehnamaki, a veteran journalist close to hardliners who is currently active in movies did not wait for principlist media and published two articles on his blog. In one, he wrote, “Principlists lost to themselves not to their rivals.” He wrote of “Serious self delusions among our principlists” which caused their defeat. He write, “The other side had a Khatami to listen to despite their grievances and they felt it their duty to participate.”

Writing on his web blog, hardline Kayhan newspaper columnist Hossein Ghadiani, a supporter of presidential candidate Mohammad Ghalibaf satirically congratulated Rowhani’s “first place” to ultra-conservative cleric Mesbah Yazdi and the Jebhe Paydari (Steadfast) Front.

He criticized the stands of the Steadfast Front in its web blog and wrote that Rowhani’s higher votes were more digestible to the group than the votes of Ghalibaf. The writer added that “Our problem is that for some of us the views of some pious Hezbollahi friends are more important than the Islamic revolution.” He continued, “I have said this before and will say it again: the Steadfast group is not a supporter of Mesbah but is on the wrong path altogether.”

Omid Hosseini, a popular and influential web blogger known as Arzeshi (a religious site and a staunch supporter of the supreme leader) also took a hardline stand and wrote, “Give me the right to not believe in your wisdom. When all the polls clearly show the low popularity of your candidates, why do you insist on staying in” Was it your duty to bring to power those who had been waiting for this moment for the last four or eight years?”

Writing on his “Ahestan” blog, he said, “I congratulate the reformists. At least they had four wise and educated people who analyzed the situation and made decisions based on reality. But who did we put our faith in? In Zakani who lacked even a one percent vote and who uttered nonsense against Rafsanjani and paid lip service to the notion of a coalition while announcing coalitions every other day? In Haddad Adel who withdrew with his two percent vote and thought he was doing the principlists a favor but was not willing to name anyone [for voters to rally around]? In Velayati whose goal is a moralist government but who breaks his own pledge? In Mr. Yazdi who announces Velayati to be the better candidates after the disgraceful debate? In Saeed Jalili who is still pursuing the revolutionary dialog and who sanctifies the revolution? In Mr. Mesbah Yazdi, the results of whose political decisions we have witnessed one after the other in recent years? In whom?”

The blogger concluded his piece with these words, “I swear to God we must hold these people accountable. They have caused the defeat of the principlists. These people knew of the polls and their own popularity but said that the polls are not the criteria. They turned a victory into defeat because of their treason and stubbornness. What other name do you have for this treacherous act?”