Iranian Politicians Skip Ahmadinejad Ceremony

Posted on Aug 3, 2009

bbc.co.uk

Awkward times: Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, right, and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei share a somewhat confused embrace during Monday’s ceremony in Tehran.

Members of the Iranian public aren’t the only ones registering their displeasure about President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s impending second term. On Monday, as Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei formally gave his endorsement to Ahmadinejad, some key members of Iran’s political elite were conspicuously absent from the ceremony.

BBC:

Senior Iranian political figures appear to have snubbed the formal endorsement of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as president by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

His predecessors as president, Mohammad Khatami and Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, did not attend the ceremony.

Also missing were the two opposition candidates defeated in June’s election - that was mired in claims of rigging - Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi.

Later, riot police reportedly prevented several opposition protests in Tehran.

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