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New Iran leader 'to be sworn in before Aug 19'
(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-06-24 07:56 TEHERAN: Iran's new president will be sworn in to office between July 26 and August 19, Iran's official IRNA news agency reported yesterday. "Parliament's board of directors set July 26 to August 19 as the period for the ceremony of president's swearing-in and the introduction of the new Cabinet," IRNA said. On June 13, Iran's Interior Minister Sadeq Mahsouli said incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won 62.63 percent of the total ballots of the presidential election on June 12, while his main rival Mir-Hossein Mousavi got 33.75 percent. After the result was declared, Mousavi has protested "strongly" the "obvious violations" in the election. He also appealed to the Guardian Council, the top legislative body, for the cancellation of the election results. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei has ordered the Guardian Council to investigate the claims of "fraud" in the election. On Monday, Guardian Council spokesman Abbas Ali Kadkhodai said that the council would announce today the result of probe into the complaints about the presidential election. Iran's satellite channel Press TV report that the Guardian Council yesterday rejected again any annulment of the presidential election. Kadkhodai was quoted as saying that the council had found no major irregularities in the election and rejected annulling the election results, signaling the second term for President Ahmadinejad. Iran blames UN, UK Iran yesterday accused UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon of interfering in its state matters after he urged an immediate halt to the use of force against civilians, the ISNA news agency reported. "Mr Ban Ki-moon, under the influence of some powers, is ignoring the realities of Iran's election and his remarks are clearly contradicting his duties ... and are a clear interference in Iran's state matters," it quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi as saying. An Iranian parliamentarian said yesterday Teheran would temporarily recall its ambassador to Britain, which Iran has accused of interfering in its internal affairs following this month's disputed presidential election. A senior Iranian government source did not confirm the report carried by several Iranian news agencies. The lawmaker, Mahmoud Ahmadi, was speaking after a meeting on Monday between parliament's national security and foreign policy commission and Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, state broadcaster IRIB reported. "In the meeting yesterday we concluded to summon Iran's ambassador to London for a limited time for some explanations and a complete report of events and Britain's interference in Iran's internal affairs," Ahmadi said, according to IRIB. "It was proposed for relations with Britain to be lowered to the level of charge d'affaires. This proposal ... did not reach a conclusion and lawmakers did not insist on it," he was quoted as saying by the ISNA news agency. No time was given. Xinhua - Reuters (China Daily 06/24/2009 page12) |
