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| Iran's Ahmadinejad lambasts opponents | Iran's Ahmadinejad lambasts opponents |
| (about 9 hours later) | |
| Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has ended his re-election campaign with a TV appearance accusing his opponents of trading in lies and insults. | Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has ended his re-election campaign with a TV appearance accusing his opponents of trading in lies and insults. |
| Mr Ahmadinejad said they had conspired with Israelis to falsify documents and graphs to discredit him. | Mr Ahmadinejad said they had conspired with Israelis to falsify documents and graphs to discredit him. |
| His rivals boycotted the chance to appear on TV, after apparently not being offered equal airtime. | His rivals boycotted the chance to appear on TV, after apparently not being offered equal airtime. |
| Earlier a former president and leading cleric urged Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to rein in Mr Ahmadinejad. | Earlier a former president and leading cleric urged Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to rein in Mr Ahmadinejad. |
| Mr Ahmadinejad alleged in a TV debate last week that the cleric, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, and other politicians were corrupt. | Mr Ahmadinejad alleged in a TV debate last week that the cleric, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, and other politicians were corrupt. |
| Huge crowds have been out on the streets, as the rival candidates held their last election rallies. | Huge crowds have been out on the streets, as the rival candidates held their last election rallies. |
| Mr Ahmadinejad is thought to be in a tight race with his main rival, reformist Mir Hossein Mousavi. Two other candidates are standing. | Mr Ahmadinejad is thought to be in a tight race with his main rival, reformist Mir Hossein Mousavi. Two other candidates are standing. |
| 'Bottom of history' | 'Bottom of history' |
| The BBC's Jon Leyne in Tehran says the crowds gathering in the capital in support of rival candidates sound more like boisterous football crowds than election campaigners. | The BBC's Jon Leyne in Tehran says the crowds gathering in the capital in support of rival candidates sound more like boisterous football crowds than election campaigners. |
| Such insults and accusations against the government are a return to Hitler's methods, to repeat lies and accusations ... until everyone believes those lies President Ahmadinejad href="/2/hi/middle_east/8093366.stm">Power of women in Iran's election href="/2/hi/middle_east/8094344.stm">In pictures: Poll fever href="/2/hi/middle_east/8094296.stm">Ahmadinejad courts divided Iran class="" href="http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?forumID=6578">Send us your comments | |
| The campaign at first appeared to be relatively dull, our correspondent says, but there has been an amazing surge of enthusiasm since the href="/2/hi/middle_east/8080999.stm">first of several TV debates. | |
| Speaking to thousands of supporters in Tehran in the last hours of campaigning, href="/2/hi/middle_east/8060304.stm">President Ahmadinejad accused rivals of lying about the state of the economy and using smear tactics against him. | |
| "Such insults and accusations against the government are a return to Hitler's methods, to repeat lies and accusations ... until everyone believes those lies," he said, quoted by local media. | "Such insults and accusations against the government are a return to Hitler's methods, to repeat lies and accusations ... until everyone believes those lies," he said, quoted by local media. |
| Iranians would "send them to the bottom of history", he added. | Iranians would "send them to the bottom of history", he added. |
| Mr Ahmadinejad drew thousands of people to his final rallies | Mr Ahmadinejad drew thousands of people to his final rallies |
| Later the president appeared on state TV to respond to criticism by use of graphs of his handling of the economy by Mr Mousavi and another candidate, Mohsen Rezai. | Later the president appeared on state TV to respond to criticism by use of graphs of his handling of the economy by Mr Mousavi and another candidate, Mohsen Rezai. |
| He said they had used what he called "zionist entities", meaning Israeli companies, to falsify information and undermine his government. | He said they had used what he called "zionist entities", meaning Israeli companies, to falsify information and undermine his government. |
| Our correspondent says this is a charge that's bound to outrage his rivals, who have little chance to respond to these latest charges now that campaigning is ending. | Our correspondent says this is a charge that's bound to outrage his rivals, who have little chance to respond to these latest charges now that campaigning is ending. |
| However, their supporters are expected make their views known on the streets. Mr Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, another reformist candidate, were due to address crowds in central Tehran. | However, their supporters are expected make their views known on the streets. Mr Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, another reformist candidate, were due to address crowds in central Tehran. |
| 'Effective action' | 'Effective action' |
| Mr Rafsanjani remains powerful 12 years since he gave up the presidency | Mr Rafsanjani remains powerful 12 years since he gave up the presidency |
| The last day of campaigning was also coloured by an intervention by Mr Rafsanjani, who was Mr Ahmadinejad's main href="/2/hi/middle_east/4622955.stm">opponent in the 2005 elections, and was himself president from 1989 to 1997 and currently heads href="/2/hi/middle_east/8051750.stm">the Expediency Council - Iran's main political arbitration body. | |
| In an open letter to the supreme leader published by several newspapers, he said Mr Ahmadinejad's statements threatened to undermine the Islamic revolution. | In an open letter to the supreme leader published by several newspapers, he said Mr Ahmadinejad's statements threatened to undermine the Islamic revolution. |
| He had personally told the president to take back his remarks, which he described as "irresponsible and untruthful", he said. He asked Ayatollah Khamenei to resolve the dispute. | He had personally told the president to take back his remarks, which he described as "irresponsible and untruthful", he said. He asked Ayatollah Khamenei to resolve the dispute. |
| "I ask your eminence, given your position, responsibility and personality, to solve this problem and act in a way you deem right to take effective action in eliminating the mutiny," the former president said, quoted by AFP news agency. | "I ask your eminence, given your position, responsibility and personality, to solve this problem and act in a way you deem right to take effective action in eliminating the mutiny," the former president said, quoted by AFP news agency. |
| Fourteen high-ranking clerics echoed the complaint. | Fourteen high-ranking clerics echoed the complaint. |