Iranians go to polls in test for Ahmadinejad (Khaleej Times)

Edited by acmejack on Fri Dec-15-06 09:30 AM

TEHERAN - Iranians started voting on Friday for local councils and a powerful clerical body in the first electoral test for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his allies since he swept to office in 2005.

The vote for city and rural councils and the Assembly of Experts, in theory the most powerful institution in the Islamic Republic, will show if the president’s rivals are regaining popularity even if the results have no direct impact on policy.

Ahmadinejad’s anti-Western and anti-Israel statements have caused alarm in the West. Any indication his popularity is waning is likely to be taken as a welcome sign among Western countries worried about Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

The United States has accused Iran of having a secret programme to build nuclear weapons, a charge Teheran denies.

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