Warning from Interior Ministry Official Regarding Any 'Speculation' About Election Results

The Deputy Minister of Interior Security in Iran warned that any publication of 'speculation' about the winner of the elections on Friday will be dealt with. Hassan Rouhani's campaign headquarters also urged its supporters to refrain from celebrating victory before the official announcement of results. Meanwhile, Ebrahim Raisi, Rouhani's main rival, stated in a statement that the Rouhani government should 'submit' to the election results. According to the state news agency IRNA, Hossein Zolfaqari, the Deputy Minister of Interior, threatened on Thursday, May 28, that if any media or individual makes 'predictions and speculations' about the election winner, they will be referred to the judiciary. He also emphasized that announcing a victory celebration before the official results are declared 'disrupts the security of the elections.' In this context, Mohammad Shariatmadari, head of Hassan Rouhani's campaign, emphasized in a letter to the candidate's campaign headquarters that 'according to the Ministry of Interior's announcement, early announcement of election results and holding victory celebrations before the official declaration is against the law.' The Deputy Minister of Interior had previously announced the 'fundamental considerations' of the ministry for holding the 96 presidential elections, some of which recalled the protests against the 88 presidential election. Prohibiting the announcement of results before the official declaration by the Ministry of Interior and prohibiting illegal interference in the elections are among these 'fundamental considerations,' reminiscent of the 88 elections. The announcement of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's victory in the 88 presidential elections with 24 million votes by IRNA and other media supporting Ahmadinejad on the night of the election and before the official announcement of the results was one of the issues protested by supporters of Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, the candidates contesting the results of that election. On the other hand, Mir Hossein Mousavi also announced in a press conference hours after the voting ended that based on reports he had, he was the 'winner' of the presidential election. The Ministry of Interior is responsible for holding the presidential elections, while the Guardian Council supervises these elections. However, on the other hand, Ebrahim Raisi, the election candidate and main rival of Hassan Rouhani, in a statement on Wednesday evening called on the government to adhere to the law in conducting the elections. In his statement, he wrote: 'I advise those who... may intend to create unrest and insecurity in this vibrant atmosphere to submit to the will and choice of the people.' In contrast, Hassan Rouhani said in his speech in Zanjan on Wednesday: 'I do not want to ask the Guardian Council to supervise; young people, you supervise.' Rouhani has also repeatedly accused institutions under the supervision of Ayatollah Khamenei, including the Revolutionary Guards, the judiciary, and state media, of interfering in the elections, although some of these institutions, including the Revolutionary Guards, have stated that they have no interference in the elections. In this context, one day before the Iranian presidential elections; the end of campaigning Reporters Without Borders: Election candidates must commit to improving the information situation. Prohibition of campaigning for election candidates in a special directive from the head of the prison organization.