Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said today the disputed presidential election was the world's "freest" vote, while opposition leaders criticised the "security state" imposed after the polls.
The hardline president, in his first speech since the official confirmation of his re-election in the June 12 vote, said the election marked a new start for the country, and the government was entering a "new era".
"The presidential election was the freest election around the globe. . . . The new government is entering a new era, internationally and domestically," he said. "The election was a new start for the Islamic Republic."
Iranian authorities accuse the West, particularly the United States and Britain, of inciting unrest in the country after the election, whose disputed result led to the most widespread street protests in Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Mr Ahmadinejad also accused western countries of interference in the election, which moderate defeated candidates have denounced as rigged.
"Our foreign enemies (the West) tried to show the vote was dubious to undermine our potential in the world," he said. "They should know that the more they interfere, the more we will enter the international scene with strength and decisiveness."
However, opposition leaders urged the authorities to release people arrested after the election and criticised the "security state" imposed in Iran.
Reuters