A political analyst says the democracy in Iran is \u00cb\u0153much better\u00e2\u201e\u00a2 than the one in the United States, Press TV<\/b> reports.\n<\/p>\n
\u00c5\u201cThe democracy here [in Iran] is much better than the democracy in the United States and we have no doubt about it and if you have a doubt about it, ask the people, the Iranians in the streets. They are going to tell you,\u201d said Foad Izadi, a professor at the University of Tehran on Sunday.\n<\/p>\n
Izadi made the comments while Iranians were celebrating the victory of the reformist president-elect, Hassan Rohani, in Iran\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s June 14 vote, which was marked by a massive popular turnout.\n<\/p>\n
He criticized some media outlets, affiliated with the US and the UK, for their attempts to mar the mass participation of Iranian voters in the presidential race.\n<\/p>\n
\u00c5\u201cWhat we see tonight is a big \u00cb\u0153no\u00e2\u201e\u00a2 from the Iranian people to the US government and to the UK government that you need to stop interfering in the Iranian internal affairs,\u201d the analyst added.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Izadi further slammed the US-led sanctions which have been imposed on the Islamic Republic due to \u00c5\u201cthe myth that the Iranian government is not a democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00c5\u201cIf you go and talk to everyone of these individuals that are celebrating for Rohani, they are going to tell you that they are proud of Iran\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s nuclear [energy] program, they are proud of their achievements that this government has brought to the people,\u201d Izadi stated.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Nearly 50.5 million Iranians, including more than 1.6 million first-time voters, were eligible to participate in the June 14 presidential, and city and village council elections. The Interior Ministry put the voter turnout at 72.7 percent.<\/p>\n
Rohani managed to win 18,613,329 votes, or 50.7 percent of a total of 36,704,156 ballots counted.\n<\/p>\n
The West, led by the United States, has imposed a series of sanctions on the Islamic Republic under the pretext that Iran may be pursuing a military program under the cover of its nuclear energy activities.\n<\/p>\n
Iran has vehemently rejected the allegation, saying that its nuclear activities are entirely peaceful and that it is entitled to such a program as a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).\n<\/p>\n
MKA\/HGH\/SS<\/p>\n