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Photo Courtesy of Flickr User .faramarz

Since the announcement by the Iranian government of a landslide victory for incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad over his closest rival, Mir-Hossein Mousavi, Iran has seen the largest and most violent popular protests since the 1979 Islamic revolution.  Iranians, protesting what is largely seen as a rigged election, have poured into the streets of Tehran by the hundreds of thousands and have met an increasingly violent response from the police and basij militias. 

However, it is much too early to claim that the world is witnessing another Iranian revolution. Repression will almost certainly increase and a hardened dictatorship could remain in control for years. Clearly the government is worried about the potential for large-scale popular protest to evolve rapidly into a grassroots revolution.  Protestors have momentum built through the proliferation of new media, which has garnered both domestic and international support.  But many questions about the future of the movement persist – where will the momentum take them, how forcefully will the government stand in their way and what ultimately will be the outcome of the election?  Ahmadinejad may have been declared the victor, but the election is far from over.

This issue of the Iran Election Bulletin explores the aftermath of the election and the internal rivalries that are threatening the current regime. It also provides first-person accounts of the election and the protests that have followed.

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  — Read past issues:

  • Vol. 1, No. 8 – June 11, 2009 | Read this issue »

  • Vol. 1, No. 7 – May 22, 2009 | Read this issue »

  • Vol. 1, No. 6 – May 8, 2009 | Read this issue »

  • Vol. 1, No. 5 – April 24, 2009 | Read this issue »

  • Vol. 1, No. 4 – April 10, 2009 | Read this issue »

  • Vol. 1, No. 3 – March 27, 2009 | Read this issue »

  • Vol. 1, No. 2 – March 13, 2009 | Read this issue »

  • Vol. 1, No. 1 – Feb. 27, 2009 | Read this issue »

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Pictured above: An Iranian protests in the street following the election. Photo Courtesy of Flickr User .faramarz

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Published on June 26, 2009