TEHRAN BALLOT RECOUNT ABRUPTLY STOPPED, BOARD SAYS - EARLIER RESULTS VALID TEHRAN, MARCH 9 (KUNA) -- THE RECOUNT OF BALLOTS CAST IN SOME TEHRAN DISTRICTS DURING LAST MONTH'S MAJLIS ELECTIONS WAS UNEXPECTEDLY STOPPED LATE WEDNESDAY, THE REFORMIST PRESS SAID IN ITS THURSDAY EDITIONS.
"THE TEHRAN ELECTION SUPERVISORY BOARD ON WEDNESDAY ABRUPTLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY TERMINATED THE RECOUNTING AND APPROVED THE VALIDITY OF THE ELECTIONS," THE DAILIES REPORTED.
THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE RECOUNT IS EXPECTED TO BE OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED BY THE MAIN ELECTION WATCHDOG BODY WITHIN 24 HOURS.
ACCORDING TO THE NEWSPAPERS THERE HAS BEEN NO CHANGE IN THE 30 SEATS DECLARED FOR THE CAPITAL.
THE CONSERVATIVE COUNCIL OF GUARDIANS ORDERED THE RECOUNT OF 1,000 BALLOT BOXES CLAIMING "SEVERAL COMPLAINTS OF CHEATING AND IRREGULARITIES BY SOME CANDIDATES AND THE VOTERS." UNTIL YESTERDAY APPROXIMATELY 450 BOXES HAD BEEN RECOUNTED, THE PRESS SAID.
THE REFORMIST DAILY MOSHAREKAT, WHICH IS RUN BY THE BROTHER OF PRESIDENT MOHAMMAD KHATAMI, WROTE "IT CANNOT BE RULED OUT THAT THE 30TH AND 31ST SEATS WOULD NOT EXCHANGE PLACES IF ALL THE 1,000 BOXES WERE RECOUNTED." IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT FORMER PRESIDENT AKBAR HASHEMI RAFSANJANI WITH 749,884 VOTES CRAWLED IN TO THE 30TH PLACE IN THE IMPORTANT TEHRAN CONSTITUENCY.
ALI AKBAR RAHMANI CAME IN 31ST WITH 737,976 VOTES AND DEMANDED A RECOUNT. (MORE) AS.JA KUNA 091137 Mar 00NNNN