Photo by Newsha Tavakolian, Article by Maryam Sinaiee
DAMAVAND, IRAN // Only a year ago, the residents of Damavand and Karaj voted for pro-Ahmadinejad representatives in parliamentary elections, but just days before the presidential vote on Friday, many are leaning away from Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and backing his key rival, Mir Hossein Mousavi.
Damavand city, the centre of the largely agricultural Damavand constituency, lies 50 kilometres to the north-east of Tehran along a major road linking the capital to the Caspian area in the north.
The constituency is an amalgam of several small roadside cities, towns and villages with a total population of about 100,000.
Mostafa Hasani, 20, from Damavand, wearing a tricolour Iranian flag ribbon around his wrist and an Ahmadinejad poster on his shoulder bag, said that although he personally found Mr Ahmadinejad the man for the job, others in the city, especially the youth, had turned to Mr Mousavi.
“It’s a shame. He has done so much for the country. We owe our scientific progress in recent years such as realisation of our dream of having nuclear technology to him. All that he endeavoured to accomplish may get lost if any of his rivals takes the wheel,” the young shop assistant said.
Read the rest at What a difference a year makes – The National Newspaper.
Unfortunately, for the farmers quoted in this article, I doubt that any of the candidates can solve their financial problems. The problems they are experiencing are likely going to get worse. Too much state involvement is strangling Iran’s economy, even if it did help them compete. The scientific progress they laud has also come at a high cost.
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