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The Guardian Council of Iran, for the first time, has acknowledged evidence of voting irregularities stemming from the country’s June 12th presidential election. As a result of the probe, the Council, which will deliver its final decision on the disputed election between Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Mir Hossein Mousavi this Wednesday, said that there were a number of locales in Iran where the number of ballots cast exceeded the number of registered voters. Meanwhile, street demonstrations, which have taken place in the wake of the presidential election, continued through the weekend despite increasingly stern warnings from the Revolutionary Guard and an Iranian clerical leader. At least nineteen protesters have died in what has been deemed as the “Green Revolution.” Informal reports suggest the number is much higher. In an analysis of its public opinion polls of Iranians over the years, Zogby International concluded that the street demonstrations that followed the elections were no surprise given the findings of its past surveys. In its last poll conducted in 2006 via telephone, Zogby International found that Iranians cared more for improving their national economy than obtaining nuclear weapons and favored more rights for women. However, with the Bush Administration in power, Iranians, especially youth, were also said to have increasingly negative opinions of the U.S. and do not want this nation to interfere in Iran’s political affairs.

GUEST: John Zogby, President and CEO of Zogby International.

Read John Zogby’s article at: http://www.forbes.com/2009/06/24/iran-election-poll-mousavi-ahmadinejad-opinions-columnists-john-zogby.html