Iran loser blasts 'illegal' poll

BBC

Defeated Iranian presidential candidate Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has reacted angrily to his surprise loss to hardline opponent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
In his first public statement following the election result, the moderate cleric alleged that an illegal dirty tricks campaign had been mounted.

However, Mr Rafsanjani said he would not be appealing against the result.

Mr Ahmadinejad won 62% of the vote in Friday's presidential run-off poll - nearly twice Mr Rafsanjani's backing.

The conservative president-elect said his win was a blow to the country's enemies - an apparent reference to the US, which had criticised the election as flawed.

Mr Rafsanjani, who was president between 1989 and 1997, was the favourite going into the election and had re-cast himself as a liberal who was more willing to engage with the West.

Conservatives are now in control of every elected and unelected institution of government in Iran.