Iran said today it had arrested 26 people for suspected electoral violations ahead of an unpredictable presidential run-off vote.
The arrests, including that of at least one military figure, appeared to lend some credence to reformist charges that an inconclusive first round vote on June 17th was marred by dirty tricks.
Citing an Interior Ministry statement, 104 cases of electoral violations had been recorded in the first round of elections, leading to 26 arrests.
Forty-four cases involved military personnel and one “prominent military figure” was arrested for “delivering speeches against a candidate and destroying the image of the Islamic system,” IRNA said.
The reformists question a late surge in support which took hardline Tehran mayor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad into tomorrow's run-off.
Mr Ahmadinejad (48), a former Revolutionary Guardsman who draws his support from Iran's pious poor, faces veteran cleric Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani in a vote that has split the Islamic state broadly along class lines.
Supporters of Mr Rafsanjani (70), who is bidding to regain the post he held from 1989 to 1997, say a win for Mr Ahmadinejad would roll back outgoing President Mohammad Khatami's modest reforms and could lead Iran into international isolation.
Seeking to cut into Mr Ahmadinejad's hardcore support among the poor, Mr Rafsanjani pledged late last night to introduce unemployment benefit of up to 1.5 million rials ($165) a month.
He also endorsed a multi-billion dollar plan to expand share ownership by giving each Iranian family about $11,000 of stock options in privatised state firms.
It was not clear whether the last-ditch pledge on a late-night television show would sway many voters.