AHMADINEJAD AND MOUSAVI RALLIES BRING TEHRAN TO HALT
/PanARMENIAN.Net/
09.06.2009 21:44 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Iran’s election contest intensified today as Mir
Hossein Mousavi, the moderate candidate challenging the hardline
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for the presidency, mounted a massive show of
strength in Tehran, raising the stakes in advance of Friday’s landmark
poll, The Guardian reported.
Mousavi voters formed a human chain they claimed ran the entire
15-mile length of Valiasr Avenue, the capital’s main north-south road,
the impressive turnout underscoring the formidable challenge that
Mousavi represents.
The Ahmadinejad camp mounted its own rally, bussing in thousands
of supporters to the city’s enormous open-air prayer ground in
a carnival-type atmosphere. The crowd was so vast and security
arrangements so chaotic that in the end his bodyguards prevented him
from speaking. Traffic across the city was gridlocked and clashes
were reported between supporters of the two sides last night.
"It’s very exciting to see but not clear that it provides a firm guide
to who will actually win on the day," said one diplomat. "But at the
very least it would seem to guarantee a high turnout."