Monthly Archives: July 2010

Poll Finds Dwindling Support for Govt

President Ahmadinejad at the review conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in May 2010.  Credit:UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
President Ahmadinejad at the review conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in May 2010. Credit:UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

SAN FRANCISCO, California, Jul 28, 2010 (IPS) – A recent poll conducted by a credible Iranian university centre concerning the post-election events of 2009 has found that 56 percent of participants believe President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s popularity has declined over the past year, while just 22 percent believe it has increased.

Opinions of Ahmadinejad in the capital Tehran declined, despite the fact that the president’s cabinet enjoys a monopoly over state television and radio stations.

Over the past two years, dozens of reformist publications have been shuttered, and journalists and political activists critical of the government’s policies have been arrested and imprisoned. Continue reading Poll Finds Dwindling Support for Govt

Worries Mount over Sanctions’ Ripple Effect

WASHINGTON, Jul 8, 2010 (IPS) – Although the United States and its allies insist that the latest round of U.N. sanctions against Iran targets high-level government officials rather than the general population, interviews with a number of analysts, activists and journalists in Tehran reveal a growing concern over the impact on the country’s middle class.

“The government will use the oil money to prevent pressure on the lower classes, but the main pressure will be on the middle class, the majority of whom are anti-government,” a former governmental official told IPS on the condition of anonymity. Continue reading Worries Mount over Sanctions’ Ripple Effect