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CNN Live Today
Iranian Elections
Aired February 20, 2004 - 10:36 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: It's election day in Iran, but there is little suspense, I guess, about the outcome.
Details from our Kasra Naji. He is live via videophone from a polling place in Tehran -- Kasra.
KASRA NAJI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As you said I'm standing in a mosque in central Tehran. The mosque has been turned into a polling station.
Personally, I'm very excited, because it's the first time we get permission to work out live from location here in Tehran. And as I said, in the grounds of a mosque in Tehran.
If I get out of this shot, I quickly tell you what is going on behind me. It's late in the evening. It's one or two hours, in fact, after the polling hours ended, but the Iranian authorities have extended the polling hours because they say of popular demand.
As can you see behind me, the turnout is not bad at all in this polling station. There's been a steady trickle, more than trickle, in fact, a steady run of people coming in and voting.
If you can see right at the end, there are some white posters on the wall. Those are the names of more than 500 candidates that are standing in the elections here. These are mostly hardliners and independents. And because some thousands of candidates have been barred from standing in the elections leading to charges that these elections are not going to be free or fair, turnout is important, because reformist parties have boycotted elections, and there's a lot of disillusionment. We've talked to people who say they don't want to vote, because nothing has been done for the lot of them, and also, because their reformers have been barred from standing. So we have to wait and see.
The Iranian authorities say the turnout is quite good. but actually, I think we'll have to wait and see what the final figure for the turnout is to judge how many people have turned out and still voted here in general elections in Iran -- Marty.
SAVIDGE: Kasra, I have got a question for you. You said, remarked on the fact that you were inside a polling place. Was CNN allowed to select the polling place, or was this one selected by the Iranian government?
NAJI: We wanted to go to another mosque actually, but for some reason -- they say for security reasons -- they said we couldn't go to that particular mosque.
My own impression was that it was nothing of a security problem there. They just were suspicious of us choosing a particular mosque, so we decided, OK, we'll choose another mosque, and we chose this mosque to come in. So this is the process that we came through to get here. It was difficult. As I said, this is the first time we are allowed to broadcast live from a location in Tehran -- Marty.
SAVIDGE: Kasra Naji, thank you very much. An Iranian election, one that's being followed closely in this country. Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired February 20, 2004 - 10:36 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: It's election day in Iran, but there is little suspense, I guess, about the outcome.
Details from our Kasra Naji. He is live via videophone from a polling place in Tehran -- Kasra.
KASRA NAJI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As you said I'm standing in a mosque in central Tehran. The mosque has been turned into a polling station.
Personally, I'm very excited, because it's the first time we get permission to work out live from location here in Tehran. And as I said, in the grounds of a mosque in Tehran.
If I get out of this shot, I quickly tell you what is going on behind me. It's late in the evening. It's one or two hours, in fact, after the polling hours ended, but the Iranian authorities have extended the polling hours because they say of popular demand.
As can you see behind me, the turnout is not bad at all in this polling station. There's been a steady trickle, more than trickle, in fact, a steady run of people coming in and voting.
If you can see right at the end, there are some white posters on the wall. Those are the names of more than 500 candidates that are standing in the elections here. These are mostly hardliners and independents. And because some thousands of candidates have been barred from standing in the elections leading to charges that these elections are not going to be free or fair, turnout is important, because reformist parties have boycotted elections, and there's a lot of disillusionment. We've talked to people who say they don't want to vote, because nothing has been done for the lot of them, and also, because their reformers have been barred from standing. So we have to wait and see.
The Iranian authorities say the turnout is quite good. but actually, I think we'll have to wait and see what the final figure for the turnout is to judge how many people have turned out and still voted here in general elections in Iran -- Marty.
SAVIDGE: Kasra, I have got a question for you. You said, remarked on the fact that you were inside a polling place. Was CNN allowed to select the polling place, or was this one selected by the Iranian government?
NAJI: We wanted to go to another mosque actually, but for some reason -- they say for security reasons -- they said we couldn't go to that particular mosque.
My own impression was that it was nothing of a security problem there. They just were suspicious of us choosing a particular mosque, so we decided, OK, we'll choose another mosque, and we chose this mosque to come in. So this is the process that we came through to get here. It was difficult. As I said, this is the first time we are allowed to broadcast live from a location in Tehran -- Marty.
SAVIDGE: Kasra Naji, thank you very much. An Iranian election, one that's being followed closely in this country. Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
