On the basis of reports from, and the monitoring of, thousands of polling stations by the Mojahedin Command in Iran, under one million eligible voters cast their ballots during the second round of the mullahs' Majlis election sham. The general boycott came despite the clerical regime's threats and rigging and repeated appeals by Khatami urging the people to vote.

The clerical regime inflated the figures almost five-fold, claiming that 4,660,000 voters had gone to the polls. In previous election masquerades such as the Presidential, "Islamic Councils" and Assembly of Experts elections, the mullahs inflated the figures four to five times.

Different governor offices, and executive and supervisory boards reported to the Interior Ministry and the Guardian Council that the election was the most deserted and lackluster election ever held by the regime.

Fearing the outbreak of the Iranian people's fury and protests, the clerical regime stationed forces from four repressive organs, the Revolutionary Guards Corps, the Bassij, the State Security Forces and the Intelligence Ministry, in polling stations is different cities. In most areas, the number of repressive forces exceeded the number of voters.
 

Turnout Low in Second-Round of Parliament Vote, Agence France Presse, May 5

TEHRAN - Turnout appeared low Friday for Iran's second round of parliamentary elections, which come amid a fierce political battle.

In the important southern city of Shiraz and elsewhere across the nation, witnesses told AFP that a relatively small number of voters had turned up at voting stations by midday.

"The atmosphere is low-key here," a reporter in Shiraz said.

In Gharmsar, southeast of the capital, voting booths were practically deserted at midday, four hours after the polls opened, while in Saveh, southwest of Tehran, only about a dozen people had cast their ballots.

The reform camp has been battered by the press closures, ordered by the conservative courts which have also jailed several leading journalists and summoned others for trial.

Reformers have also decried the fact that, more than two months after the first round, the Council of Guardians has yet to validate the results in Tehran, center of the nation's political life.

Should parliament reconvene at the end of the month without the newly elected Tehran reformists, led by Khatami's brother Mohammad-Reza, the reform movement would be badly weakened.

Without such key figures, other new reform deputies "would not be potent enough to pose any serious challenge to the conservative MPs," the Iran News daily said this week.
 

Iran Run-off Votes Overshadowed By Disputes, Reuters, May 5

TEHRAN - Analysts say Friday's voting is less important than a swift resolution to the broader issues plaguing the Islamic republic.

"By itself, today's election will do little if they do not address the bigger questions," said one Western analyst. "Everyone is waiting to see what becomes of Tehran's 30 seats and the national press."
 

Guardian Council Finds Widespread Fraud In Tehran, Agence France Presse, May 5

TEHRAN - Iran's conservative Council of Guardians announced Sunday it had found significant fraud in Tehran polling stations, throwing into doubt the reformist victory in the capital in February's parliamentary elections.

State television said the council, which validates all election results, found high irregularities at nearly 90 percent of the polling stations in Tehran.

The council is in the midst of an unprecedented third recount of February's vote in Tehran, and reformers have speculated it might annul the vote in the capital altogether in a bid to undermine their victory.
 

Hard to Improve Relations With Iran, Associated Press, May 7

DUBAI - A senior United Arab Emirates official has said that the internal political situation in Iran has made closer ties with the Gulf countries difficult, Al-Bayan newspaper reported Saturday.

"We have found that in Iran, the internal political situation has not given a chance to the Gulf Cooperation Council to achieve its goals," of closer ties, Emirates Foreign Minister Rashid Abdullah was quoted as saying. 

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