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| Former president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani |
In Iran, Critic Leaves Key Post:
Iran's highest-ranking moderate official was ousted Tuesday from his position at the head of the country's powerful clerical committee, a move that appeared to consolidate power in the hands of the Islamic republic's hard-line rulers. Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a former Iranian president and a critic of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, withdrew his candidacy to lead the 86-seat Assembly of Experts, an elected body of senior clerics who have the power to name, supervise and remove Iran's supreme leader.
Mr. Rafsanjani's surprise exit came as Tehran faces renewed pressure from opposition protesters, whose mass demonstrations after disputed 2009 presidential elections were largely snuffed out a year ago. Now, emboldened by other antiregime uprisings around the Middle East, protesters have returned to Iran's streets. Witnesses said fewer people turned out Tuesday than in recent weeks and were met by a heavy presence of riot police, who at times swung batons at passersby.
image via nowpublic.com
