Running Off Mullahs

Iran is having a run-off election next week.

TEHRAN, Iran — Political veteran Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani will face Tehran's hard-line mayor in Iran's first runoff presidential election ever next week, officials said Saturday.

The contest, scheduled for next Friday offers distinct choices. Rafsanjani, 70, is a moderate who served as president from 1989-97. His rival, Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, 49, is untested as a national political figure and has the backing of Iran's ruling clerics and their military guardians.

Rafsanjani, a pragmatist considered the favorite throughout the campaign, got 6.1 million votes cast Friday, or 21 percent, while Tehran's conservative mayor, Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, took 5.7 million votes, or 19.48 percent, according to final results.

Either way, the mullahs will continue to hold absolute final power. It will be interesting if Rafsanjani wins. I'll keep y'all posted.