Bush's Democratic Dream for Middle East Playing Out in Iran

Even the Russians are saying the the Iranian elections were an exercise in democracy.

SOURCE

Russia, rest of G8 clash on approach to Iran
Thu Jun 25, 2009 8:26pm BST

* G8 statement will condemn Iranian "repression", Italy says

* Russia says election was "an exercise in democracy"

* Delegates want to leave open door to nuclear talks

By Daniel Flynn and Phil Stewart

TRIESTE, Italy, June 25 (Reuters) - Group of Eight powers were divided on how to respond to Iran's disputed election on Thursday, with hosts Italy pushing for a strong condemnation of violence and Russia calling the vote "an exercise in democracy".

Western nations at a meeting of G8 foreign ministers in Trieste were pushing for tough language in a final communique on Iran, where about 20 people have been killed in demonstrations following the June 12 presidential election two weeks ago.

"We are working on a document that should condemn the violence and the repression and at the same time stress that electoral procedures are an (internal) Iranian matter," said Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini.

But he cautioned: "We (the international community) can't recount the vote." The statement is expected on Friday. Delegates to the G8 conference, getting under way with a dinner on Thursday evening, were wrestling over the wording of the statement on Iran to take into account the sensibilities of Moscow, which has already said it considers all issues linked to the election as Iran's internal affair.

Official results handed hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a landslide victory but defeated candidate Mirhossein Mousavi has said that the vote was rigged.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made clear that Russia was not prepared to sign up to a G8 statement condemning Iran's handling of the election.

"No one is willing to condemn the election process, because it's an exercise in democracy," Lavrov told reporters.

Russia is one of six powers that have been trying to solve a long-running dispute with Iran over its nuclear programme.

Iran says it wants nuclear power to generate electricity but Western powers suspect it of seeking to develop a nuclear bomb.

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Like it or not, the fact that they have a vote IS an exercise in Democracy...in point of fact, it's more of an exercise in Democracy that what you have right now down south, eh. You don't have a 1 person, 1 vote democracy, but a republic.

Now, that isn't to say that the election process, vote count etc..aren't being skewed, that ballots aren't being destroyed etc... but what Russia says stands...it is a democratic election.

With all this in mind, Iran was and is ahead of the curve when it comes to elections in the Middle East. Ahead of anything Bush might've 'created' in Iraq.

Right now, in Iran, you're seeing one of the parts of democracy that Republicans in the USA are often refering to when they talk about defending the right to bear arms...that is, the right to revolt against the standing powers - the beginnings of civil war.
 
good fucking christ people there's a huge difference between a vote as a formality and a vote that actually means something. just ask mayor daley.
 
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