TEHRAN — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Tuesday sought to put the turmoil over the disputed presidential elections behind him and declared on national television that the contests were clean, fair and marked the start of a new era.
His speech came as the country’s top three reformist leaders sought to rekindle their opposition movement, demanding that ruling clerics end the heavy “security atmosphere” imposed after the elections and free those detained in the unrest, according to an opposition website.
It was Ahmadinejad’s first national speech since the supreme leader declared the election results valid despite outcry from the other candidates and weeks of street protests claiming that the results were fraudulent.
“A new beginning”
“This is a new beginning for Iran. . . . We have entered a new era,” the president said, explaining that the 85 percent turnout and overwhelming win had given his government a new legitimacy.
“It was the most clean and free election in the world,” he said, adding that during the recount “no fault was discovered. The whole nation understood this.”
“This election has doubled the dignity of the Iranian nation,” he said.
During the half-hour speech, Iranians in many parts of the capital could be heard shouting from their rooftops, “Death to the dictator” and “God is great” — actions that have become a symbol of defiance since the elections.
Opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, who claims to have won the June 12 election, is struggling for a way to channel the widespread discontent that arose from the vote but which has since been shattered by the harsh crackdown by the police, Revolutionary Guards and Basij militia.
Strategy change hinted
Mousavi hinted Monday that he may move away from the tactic of protests and create a political party to work in what he called “a legal framework.” Late Monday, he met with the other top stars of the reform movement — former President Mohammad Khatami and Mahdi Karroubi, another election candidate — in a show of unity.
The three warned Iran’s clerical leadership that if the security crackdown continues, it “will only lead to radicalization of political activities,” Mousavi’s website reported Tuesday.
But it is not clear how much margin the opposition will have for political action. Many of the top reform figures — including Khatami’s former vice president and one-time members of his Cabinet — are in detention and could face charges of fomenting riots.
Police say 20 people were killed in post-election violence and more than 1,000 arrested.
