Ahmadinejad defends vote as ‘real and free’

TEHRAN, Iran — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Sunday his re-election was “real and free” and cannot be questioned — despite accusations of mass voter fraud.

Ahmadinejad made the comments Sunday during a press conference — his first since the government announced that he was re-elected to a second term in a landslide victory during Friday’s vote.

But his top opponent accused the government of voter fraud and many of his supporters have clashed with police in Tehran’s streets. About a mile away from Ahmadinejad’s press conference, young Iranians set trash bins, banks and tires on fire as riot police beat them back with batons.

“In Iran, the election was a real and free one. The election will improve the nation’s power and its future,” he told a packed room of Iranian and foreign media.

Several Iranian journalists who asked questions first congratulated Ahmadinejad for his victory. When asked about the allegations of voting irregularities, the hard-line president brushed the claims off, calling them unimportant.

“Some believed they would win, and then they got angry. It has no legal credibility. It is like the passions after a football match. It is not important from my point of view,” he said.

“The margin between my votes and the others is too much and no one can question it.”

Ahmadinejad also accused foreign media of launching a “psychological war” against the country.