Iranian hardliners are continuing to grouse about the reelection of Hassan Rouhani earlier this month, with growing criticism, including from Rouhani’s opponent Ebrahim Raisi, accusing him of voter fraud and “inappropriate” interference in the lead up to the vote.
The Reformist candidate Rouhani was reelected overwhelmingly, with the 57% to 38% roughly in line with the polls in the lead up to the vote. The hardliners particularly attacked Rouhani for promising to work for the release of two opposition figures under house arrest, saying it was particularly inappropriate to get votes that way.
The two under house arrest, Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, were ironically put under house arrest for their own claims of voter fraud after the 2011 election, in which former President Ahmadinejad was reelected. Judiciary figures also attacked Rouhani for the comment calling for their release, saying all such decisions were fully up to the judiciary.
Raisi has served in the judiciary and is close with many hardline judges, and is calling on them to move against Rouhani for his action in the leadup to the election, insisting it amounts to fraud, despite no real evidence Rouhani said anything dishonest or did anything other than make campaign promises his opponent didn’t like.
President Ahmadinejad favored giving more wealth to the laboring-class, so they accused him of wanting to bribe the voters. Problem is, the current President is a capitalist, meaning that he bribes the 51% most wealthy by allowing them to own all the land, wealth and political power.
Since the hardliners are resorting to courts and not overt or stealthy force, Iranian democracy can be said to be maturing quite nicely.