More protest in Iran, at high levels
Friday, August 7, 2009 at 1:23AM ARTICLE: As Ahmadinejad Is Sworn In for 2nd Term, Deep Fissures Are Laid Bare, By ROBERT F. WORTH and NAZILA FATHI, New York Times, August 5, 2009
Looking good in Iran, on the occasion of Ahmadinejad's inauguration:
The inauguration ceremony itself exposed deep rifts in Iran's ruling elite. Many seats were empty, with most of Parliament's reform faction boycotting the event, according to Parlamaan News, a reformist Web site. Several reformists who did attend walked out as the president began his speech. Leading opposition figures, including the presidential candidate Mir Hussein Moussavi and the former presidents Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Mohammad Khatami, also stayed away. Subway stations and shops around the Parliament building were closed, in a sign of concern about possible violence.
Mr. Ahmadinejad must form a cabinet in the next two weeks, and his choices will signal much about the direction his second term will take. He is likely to face rising dissent from within his own conservative camp, as he did last month during a heated fracas over his first appointments. His government will also be struggling to put down a defiant opposition movement that maintains that his landslide June 12 re-election was rigged, and has continued to mount street protests. That task may grow harder as the school year and athletic seasons start next month, providing new opportunities for mass rallies.
Yes, as the article subsequently points out, Ahmadinejad is firmly in control and enjoys the Supreme Leader's backing.
The point is, the reach of his control is shrinking.
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