Iran Focus: Tehran, Iran, Jun. 23 – Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani told a meeting of senior Revolutionary Guards commanders that he has not accepted any pre-conditions to win the support of different factions within the regime for his presidency. “All those who are supporting me in the run-off are doing so without any pre-condition”, the former President said.

Iran Focus and wire services:
Iran Government Spokesman: Votes are being bought
New poll puts Tehran mayor ahead
Iran revolution ‘at stake’ in election: Rowhani

Christian Science Monitor: Iran’s mullahs have just conducted the first round of their exercise in nondemocracy, the election of a new president. Their Guardian Council, made up of Islamic hard-liners, largely determines everything. In this year’s election, they determined who should run, disallowed a thousand contenders, and ruled out all women candidates.

Iran Focus: Tehran, Iran, Jun. 22 – The leader of the main ultra-conservative political grouping in Iran’s clergy-dominated regime described former President Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani as an “Islamic Fundamentalist” and said whichever candidate would win in Friday’s presidential elections, the result “will be a victory for us”.

Iran Focus: Tehran, Jun. 22 – One of Iran’s state-run news agencies announced the results of a pre-election poll for the election run-off due on Friday between frontrunner Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and contender Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, showing the latter had greater support.