This massive exercise took place without trouble of any kind – the polling stations were kept open longer than required to facilitate the huge lines of people outside. Indeed, that’s one of the reasons I discount the opposition complaints. When a candidate is reduced to protesting that too MANY people were allowed to vote, you know he’s in trouble. The counting, too, was awesome. And, by the way, there were observers from all four camps present throughout these stages…

Ahmadinejad commands the loyalty of the poor, the working class and the rural voters whose development he has championed… he is the president of an important country and we’ll just have to accept it.