Iran pre-election poll: Ahmadinejad 48%, Rafsanjani 36%

Iran Focus:

One of Iran’s state-run news agencies announced the results of a pre-election poll for the election run-off due on Friday between frontrunner Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and contender Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, showing the latter had greater support.

According to the poll, 47.79 percent supported Ahmadinejad, the ultra-conservative appointed mayor of Tehran, while only 35.73 percent supported Rafsanjani, a hard-line cleric and former President.

A separate poll conducted by the state broadcasting organ found that 43.56 percent of prospective voters favoured Ahmadinejad and 36.50 favoured Rafsanjani.

State-run polls are rarely accurate and tend not to report on the level of voter apathy.

Although the polls may not reflect reality, it does reflect the image the regime wants to project.